Endure and Survive
by HannahBerrie
Summary: The year is 2026. The world as we know it was lost 13 years ago, thanks to a cordyceps virus that turns humans into the deadly infected. Follow the story of Anna and Kristoff as they journey across the United States and fight to stay alive. A Last of Us!Frozen Au. (Warning: Contains 1 Character Death)
1. Prologue

**Part 1: Summer **

The screams; that's what she'd heard first. There were so many; bloodcurdling and frantic and simply horrifying. Then there were sirens, people running, explosions, buildings being set aflame. "Anna, we've got to run!" Elsa had screamed, yanking her down the street. They'd been out for dinner at a small diner together, feeling so mature and grown-up since their parents had let them go out alone, despite the fact that they were only 12 and 15.

Then suddenly, everything went wrong.

At first Anna had thought some gunman or crazed person had come in with a bomb, after all, everyone had started yelling and fleeing the building as fast as they could, but she quickly learned otherwise. A deranged man had run up to her, pinning her against the brick wall of the diner and clawing at her face.

"ELSA!" Anna screeched, terrified tears running down her face. The man's eyes were red and bloody, and he had what looked like a _fungus_ growing right on his face! The smell of earth and decay filled her nose as Anna tried to fight him back, but it was no use, he was too strong.

Elsa had kicked the thing from behind, grabbed it, and shoved it onto the ground, giving it one last stomp for good measure.

"W-what was THAT?!" Anna exclaimed, wiping the blood off her shirt and clutching onto her sister's hand.

"It doesn't matter, we've got to get out of here!" Elsa said frantically, dragging her down the street.

It had all seemed like a blur – more like a nightmare, actually. There were so many people running, screaming, falling to the ground, trampling each other, crying, and wailing. The growing horde of the crazy ones flooded the streets; snarling, croaking, and attacking; bringing more into their disease. The night air hung thick with the smell of blood, and panic crashed through the city like a hurricane.

Anna kept telling herself it was all just a dream, that in a few moments she'd wake up and everything would be back to normal again. She and Elsa would be giggling over that new neighbor that obviously had a crush on Elsa, sharing bread sticks, talking about movies, and gossiping about friends. Everything would be just as it was.

Too bad she never woke up.


	2. The Quarantine

**A**nna sat up in bed, her heart pounding in her chest. The room was dark and humid around her, and the bed was as stiff as ever. She glanced around at her surroundings, making sure she was safe. Their room looked the same as it always did; curtains pulled shut, an alarm clock on top of an almost empty dresser, and dirty clothes on the floor.

She was okay.

Anna buried her face in her hands, trying to calm herself.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop reliving that night. The last night she had true freedom; the same night it all came crashing down.

The clock on the wall read 6:50. Morning wake-up call would be soon. Anna sighed shakily and got out of bed, her brow furrowing when she saw that Elsa was missing from her bunk. Where was she? It wasn't like her to leave before morning inspection. More often than not, it would be Elsa shaking Anna out of bed, reminding her that the cooks told her there would be a few muffins for breakfast today, so they had to get there fast. Things like that would always get Anna going.

She crossed the small 20 x 20 foot room, opening the door. "Elsa?" She whispered, sticking her head down the empty hall. Silence. Anna trudged back into their room, running her hands through her hair in frustration. What if something had happened? What if Elsa was hurt? The possibilities ran wild through her mind, and all ended with Anna wanting her sister back. She knew she was probably overreacting, but she needed to know her sister was safe.

She was all Anna had left.

As expected, the morning wake up bells blared down the dingy, gray halls, summoning everyone to the front yard for inspection. Anna quickly brushed her hair, shoved on a tank top and jeans, and ran, knowing full well what the penalties would be if she was late.

After the outbreak, the nation's capital had set up a quarantine zone in every state, a place where the non-infected could go to be safe from the outside world. Elsa had insisted they flee to theirs, here in Connecticut, as she wanted nothing but Anna's safety and security. Besides, how else were orphan children going to survive without any guidance? Their parents were gone – lost to the infection, just like any sense of simplicity, just like their home, just like their friends, just like the world as they'd known it.

In all honesty, Anna hated it here sometimes. And by sometimes, she meant most times. The people here were so harsh and cruel, not to mention conditions were rough. They'd taken shelter at a special part of the zone for children, one that promised reassurance and hope. 13 years later, it was full of new children, adults, families, and people doing what they could to get by. With so many people there was rarely enough food, despite the fact that it was military-run. The soldiers who controlled the place were more often than not harsh, cruel, and unsympathetic; a far cry from what they'd started out as.

Anna wasn't the only one who couldn't stand it here. People had started sneaking out more and more in hopes of sampling a taste of freedom, and in the process were getting attacked and infected. That was why they needed…this.

They lined up in the front yard as Anna glanced around through the crowd, her mind frantic._Where the hell was she?_

The budding sunrise cast a red-orange glow over the group of clearly nervous quarantine members. Tight whispers were exchanged, low and quick. Anna knew she was clean, but she couldn't help but feel nervous too. Everyone always was. After all, all it took was a scratch from someone infected, and you were a goner. That was why as much as Anna hated it here, she knew they couldn't leave. The outside world was dangerous and deadly, venturing into it wasn't worth the risk.

Finally, Elsa ran up to her place in line next to Anna, panting and kicking up a cloud of dirt behind.

_"__Where were you!?"_ Anna hissed, torn between relief and annoyance. "I was worried sick!"

"I'll explain it later," Elsa whispered, standing up straight. "But trust me, it was important."

_It better be, _Anna muttered mentally. After all, she'd only almost worried herself to death! Usually it was the other way around, actually. Growing up, Elsa had always been the one stopping Anna from jumping out of their tree house to test her 'flying abilities,' Elsa had been the one worrying herself sick when Anna got the flu, Elsa had been the one to remind her that wearing her jeans with her dress would not be a good idea. She was always there for her.

Then again, those times were long gone now; it seemed almost impossible to not live in constant anxiety, even if the zone was supposed to represent safety.

Everyone was lined up, everyone was there, the alarm rang again, and the inspection began. A stiff hush fell over the crowd as the officer walked down the line, examining each individual with a handheld scanner designed to pick up signs of infected. As he passed each clean person, you could see their shoulders slump and sigh of relief hanging on her lips. They would live to see another day.

Anna stood still, feeling as if she somehow breathed too hard the scanner would say she was infected. Much too quickly, the officer reached her. She closed her eyes, held her breath. The scanner passed over her body, the familiar hum resonating in her ears. _Please, please, please, please, PLEASE-_

"Clean," the officer said, moving on.

_Thank God. _There'd been far too many nights where Anna had nightmares about being scanned positive, about being shoved to the ground, forced onto her hands and knees and-

"Clean," he called out again, moving away from Elsa.

Anna turned to give her sister a smile, reaching out to hold her hand. Okay, so Elsa probably hadn't left the zone. But still, why had she been up so early? Anna definitely needed an explanation. She'd ask her as soon as they were finished with inspection.

They were almost done. The officer had just reached the end of the line when-

"On your knees!"

Everyone turned to catch a glimpse of a woman kneeling on the ground, her hands in the air and her sobs echoing through the lot. The armed guards surrounded her, aiming the guns right at her head. "She scanned positive," one informed the other, cocking his rifle.

"You know what to do," he replied, his voice stern and cold.

"N-no! P-please!" The woman wailed, her whole body shaking with pure fear and desperation, just as everyone always did. Anna felt her heart sink. She'd known her, the woman used to read her and the other kids stories to comfort them right after the outbreak. "I'm clean!" She sobbed. "I-it's a mistake! P-please, let me li-"

Two gunshots, then silence.

It happened at least once every week or so, and yet Anna never ceased to be scarred by it. The soldiers felt otherwise. "Everyone return to your assigned cabins immediately!" One shouted, his gun still raised.

Anna and Elsa did as they were told, but not before Anna caught one glimpse of the woman's body being dragged off the lot, to where, she didn't know. "Do you really think she was infected?" Anna whispered, leaning closer to her sister. "She looked fine to me."

Elsa looked nervously at the guards, as if they could hear them despite the fact that she and Anna were already walking through the main building's front doors. "Well, you can't always tell right away," she mumbled.

Anna could read between the lines.

* * *

><p>The cafeteria air was hot, muggy, and sticky; much unlike the bowl of stale oatmeal Anna had sitting before her. God, what she'd do for one of those muffins, or better yet, a doughnut. A chocolate doughnut. She hadn't had one in years, though she could still remember the taste; warm, soft, sugary, the icing melting away in her mouth….<p>

_Learn to work with what you got. _That's what their parents had always said. Elsa had starting saying it too, whenever Anna went off on one of her wistful daydreams on life returning to normal, of being kids again. But what if there was nothing to work with? What if this was what it'd be like forever? The concept was dismal.

"So where were you this morning?" Anna asked, shaking herself back to the present. "I was so worried! I mean, you disappeared from your bunk and I was all alone and…"

"I'm sorry for that." Elsa sat up straighter, clearly uncomfortable. "I…was…uh…talking with someone."

Anna raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Who?"

Elsa hesitated, glancing around the room and its stained, peeling walls. "He lives here in the school, about my age."

Anna smirked. "So you have a little crush, huh?"

"No!" Elsa yelped, her eyes wide in embarrassment. "He just had some…interesting things to say. We were on night watch for the past few weeks together, and…well, I think we can trust him."

"Define interesting."

"I'll tell you later, when we're alone." Elsa muttered, her eyes still scanning the room.

"No, tell me now," Anna insisted, leaning closer. She hated how secretive her sister could be sometimes. You would think after all these years, Elsa would have learned to trust her, but no, she was too worried about Anna's safety, so worried that Anna felt like Elsa was her babysitter, not her sister. She always kept things from her, and even if it was for her own good, Anna was 25 years old! She could handle the truth. That was why this time, she wasn't going to let it slide. "I mean it Elsa. What _exactly_ did he say?"

Elsa bit her lip and wrung her hands, clearly at war with herself. She looked her sister in the eye before finally leaning over, cupping her ear, and whispering so low her words were almost inaudible.

_"__An escape plan."_


	3. The Plan

**K**ristoff Bjorgman was a scruffy sort of man, to say the least. He had a mop of dirty blonde hair that would have been more golden if they had any shampoo around here, and wore a plaid navy cotton shirt, with a gray hoodie that had seen better days. A 5 o'clock shadow dusted his jaw, covering a few scars on his chin. He had broad shoulders and a stocky build, and wore a pair of old blue jeans that were faded at the knees.

Anna looked nervously at him; something about him made her feel a twisted emotion of both unease and tranquility. He had his arms folded over his chest defensively, but he seemed to be reassured when he saw it was Elsa approaching. He stood up straighter as the sisters walked up to him, their footsteps muffled by the dirt of the back lot.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Anna whispered again, stepping closer to Elsa.

"I told you, he's a good man," Elsa replied, checking one last time to make sure the coast was clear. They'd planned to meet at the back of the school, in private. Elsa wanted to discuss this 'escape" together, especially since their lives could be at stake.

Anna didn't see the point in this at all. Sure, it sucked here, but it was a lot safer than it would be out in the open. Why was Elsa even _considering_ this?

Kristoff nodded to them in welcome. "You sure nobody saw or heard you?" He asked, double checking over their shoulders.

"We're sure," Elsa said coolly. "Kristoff, this is my sister, Anna."

Kristoff gave no welcome, and instead scanned Anna over with a hint of disdain. "Are you sure she can handle this?" He muttered.

"Handle what?" Anna demanded, placing her hands on her hips. She didn't like his tone, or the way he was looking at her, for that matter.

"I'm sure," Elsa nodded, ignoring Anna's question. "Now let's hurry."

He sighed, but started walking. "Follow me."

He led them to the back of the armory building, reminding them they had to stay quiet. They climbed up the side of the building on the rickety ladder attached to the brick, making their way to the roof. Anna kept looking over her shoulder as her hands moved up the hot metal. _Wouldn't someone see them up here? _

Luckily, there was no one.

Kristoff then guided them across the rooftops, his movements swift and practiced.

Anna's heart was pounding in her chest, half in fear and half in exhilaration. If they got caught up here, they'd be screwed. But at the same time, this was kind of _fun_; jumping from building to building, up above everyone else, ducking behind air ducts and broken air conditioners when a soldier was in the area, being able to see the city for miles….

…Even if Kristoff kept snapping at her every time she landed on her knees and not her feet after a jump, and when she'd curse and groan afterward.

"I'm sorry!" She scowled, brushing her jeans off. "Yeesh."

"We've got to keep quiet!" Kristoff hissed, crossing his arms over his chest. "If we get caught because of-"

"We'll be fine!" She muttered. "You're making more noise than me."

His eyes narrowed. "Excuse me!?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Both of you, quiet. Anna, we're almost there, now stay close to me."

Their "school" was in reality an abandoned apartment complex. They'd split up buildings into separate uses, some for dormitories, one for the cafeteria, and a lot for the military. It barely looked like any complex anymore. The grass was dead, brown, mostly gone, and instead replaced by hard dirt. Some buildings were so busted down they were about to fall apart. It was fenced off from the rest of the zone, to discourage people from escaping and keep other people from flooding in. Ever since the outbreak, Anna hadn't been outside the complex; she didn't even know what the rest of the world was like now, only that the number of infected had risen by the thousands.

Finally, they made it to the highest building in the lot, where they got a good view of the city around them. They crouched behind a group of crates, pausing to catch their breath.

"Okay, _what _are we doing up here?" Anna asked, turning to look at them. "Was all this really necessary?"

Elsa leaned closer to Anna, pointing off into the distance, towards a flicker of the gleaming river. "That's where the quarantine ends, that's where we would go. I asked Kristoff and he says he'll let us go with him!"

Anna laughed in disbelief. "Go? Elsa, what are you-"

"Listen," Kristoff interrupted, turning to look at her. "At the city border is a fence, it's guarded by military personnel 24/7, but it's easier at night. We can sneak past them and-"

Anna backed away, dragging a hand through her hair. "Whoa, whoa, wait! Slow down! What is going on?!"

Elsa bit her lip and glanced at Kristoff. "Kristoff sneaks out of the school sometimes to do some trades for clothes and better food. And he's…heard things."

Anna frowned. "Things?"

"A cure," Kristoff said, a gleam in his eye. "A vaccine to end this fucking infection for good. I know these guys on the black market, they heard it over the radio. They're making it in this lab, up in Salt Lake City."

"So what?" Anna asked, raising an eyebrow. "You want to go there? That's hundreds of miles away! What, you think you can just break in there and take it? I'm sure once they finish it we'll all get to-"

"They said they're only giving it to Class 1 personnel," Kristoff muttered, his lips curving in a scowl. "Meaning-"

"Not us," Anna finished, her heart sinking. "Only soldiers, politicians…"

"Exactly," Elsa nodded, taking a hold of her sisters hand. "But if we could go there, and just take a _little _for ourselves, then we'd never get infected! We could live in peace! You'd be safe, Anna, forever!"

Anna shook her head. "But risk our lives? For a _chance _at immunity? Elsa, I know it sucks here, but-"

"But what?!" Elsa exclaimed. "We can't keep living like this! Conditions are getting worse every day! We're running out of food, more people are getting infected, and you and I both know those 'inspections' are just for population control. What if we're next? If we were immune, we could go somewhere else, find someplace safe, and I wouldn't have to worry about you getting hurt!"

"You don't always have to worry about me!" Anna snapped, pulling away from her. "I'm an adult, I can take care of myself! You're not my mother!"

Elsa's face fell. Her shoulders slumped, and she pulled away, looking to the concrete under her feet. A beat of silence passed between the two, filled only by the sound of the wind that gently whipped their hair, and the nervous shuffling of Kristoff's feet. Anna felt her heart sink with guilt, and she tugged on the end of her braid. _Great choice of words, Anna_.

"I'm not your mother," Elsa said calmly, "But I am your sister. And I need to know you're safe. You're the only reason I'm still here, Anna."

Anna was silent. She tried to stay mad, to be frustrated that her sister was thinking so foolishly, but she couldn't. After all, she felt the same way. She'd take a bullet for Elsa, if she needed to. Anything to make sure Elsa was okay.

Kristoff sat there, looking awkwardly between the two sisters. "Well…I'm going, whether you two are or not. I can't stick around here much longer, it's driving me crazy."

Elsa looked at him, and then at her sister, her eyes full of sincerity. "Anna…we could do this. If we worked together with Kristoff, we could make it. We could survive on our own! We could be together, and happy!"

Anna nibbled on her lower lip, still unsure. "It's risky, Elsa…"

"I know, but if it means you'll be safe, I'm willing to pay any price." Elsa smiled, placing a reassuring hand on Anna's shoulder.

Anna sighed, looking back to the river. It looked so peaceful as it sparkled in the sun; so much so it almost made Anna forget about the dangers lurking beyond it. This was a stupid plan, she knew that. But maybe…maybe it could work. They could get a nice little cabin in the woods, with their own fence for protection. They could steal from shops, make their own food. Maybe even grow some if they could learn to farm. There'd be no more cold oatmeal, executions, or lack of clothing and food. No more fear of getting shot just because you looked strange. No more being caged in. It'd be just the two of them.

Anna looked back towards the river one last time, closed her eyes, and took a breath.

"Let's do it."


	4. The Brick Master

**O**f course, one didn't just "escape" the quarantine zone. The task would take much more than just sneaking out in the dark of night. The military was armed and aggressive, and Kristoff was certain there were clickers hidden in the sewer system of the city, despite the fact that the military proudly boasted on being an "infected-free" city for 3 months now.

"Clickers?" Anna asked, as they sat on the roof of one of the dormitories. The rooftops were one of the only places where they could talk without risk of being overheard, as security cameras and soldiers were virtually everywhere else on the complex.

"The second stage of the infection." Kristoff sighed and rolled his eyes, as if this was supposed to be obvious knowledge.

"There's _stages__?"_ Anna's eyes widened in disbelief, and slight horror. At the school, they'd just been taught that getting bit, scratched, or exchanging blood with an infected person was all it took for you to become infected yourself. Once you had the virus, you'd go crazy, fungus would grow on your body, and you'd eventually die. She was never told how long someone stayed infected, or what they'd look like as time went on. Just that the infected were deadly and dangerous, and that staying inside the zone was mandatory.

"Of course!" Kristoff scoffed, his eyes scanning over the city map they were huddled around. "Don't you know anything?"

Anna's eyes narrowed. Even though they'd been working together for weeks now, planning and strategizing, she was never not annoyed around Kristoff. He always had something negative to say, mainly to her. They got into squabbles over everything, from serious matters such as which street they should take to get to the city fence quicker, or petty disagreements like whether or not Anna could run faster than him.

Elsa told her he was just uncomfortable around new people, but Anna frankly didn't care. While she knew they'd have to tolerate each other if they wanted to survive out there, it just wasn't easy. Thankfully, this time Elsa gave Kristoff a cold glare, and a stern shake of her head.

He sighed, muttering that he was sorry. "Runners are first," he explained, "They're fast and deadly, but still have some human consciousness left. Then clickers, that's when the fungus growing on you splits your entire face apart. They can't see so they make a clicking sound for echolocation. Then bloaters, they're the worst. Completely covered in the cordyceps – it's fucking disgusting."

Anna shuddered, hugging herself in comfort. She had only seen infected on the first few days of the outbreak, before the zone was established. And according to Kristoff, they all had to be runners. None of them had anything splitting their whole face apart! That sounded horrible. Thinking about all the people lost to the virus made her see why Elsa wanted to get that cure, Anna never wanted either of them to turn into one of those _things._

"Alright," Kristoff said, turning his attention back to the task at hand. "Their defenses are weakest between 12:30 and 1 am, that's our window, that's when the evening and midnight crews switch shifts. We distract the guards, and leave the school through the back gate. We take the city backstreets and alleys to the border, then climb the fence. Then it's just over the city bridge and we're in the clear."

"It sounds too easy," Anna muttered.

"You got a better idea?" He countered, huffing in frustration. "Because this is the best plan we've got."

_More like the only plan. _"I hope you know what you're doing," Anna scowled, folding her arms over her chest.

"If we're fast enough, we should be able to do this," Elsa said. "Kristoff's been sneaking out to watch the soldiers' movements at the border, he knows what he's talking about."

_"Thank you,"_ Kristoff said, smirking slightly at Anna.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Where are you even going to go, after we get the cure?"

Kristoff shrugged. "I'll find my own place."

Elsa didn't look so sure. "You mean you'll be alone?"

He hesitated for a moment, and for a second Anna could have sworn she saw something other than his usual cold stubbornness flash through his eyes. But it came and went faster than she had time to process it. "I'm better off that way," he muttered.

Anna looked away. While she couldn't stand Kristoff, the thought of him out there, _alone_,with no one to help him, seemed like a stupid idea. Anna couldn't imagine what it'd be like to survive without Elsa, but she knew she wouldn't make it, that was for sure. Anna couldn't hunt or kill; she could barely walk without tripping over her own feet! But that would have to change once they got out into the outside world. She'd have to be strong and tough, like Elsa. And yes, admittedly like Kristoff too. "Are you sure?" She mumbled.

Kristoff eyed her. "Yes."

Ever since they'd started planning their escape, Anna felt like she had a shadow of suspicion following her wherever she went. Soldiers popped up in random places, they seemed to look at her funny, they whispered around her, readjusted the guns that they carried with them at all times.

So she was a little paranoid, but what was she to do? Things were getting worse. Just last week, the sergeant had announced that any residents who tried to sneak out of the quarantine and come back would be shot on site, to avoid more bitten people sneaking in. Everyone had exchanged nervous whispers and worried looks, including Anna and Elsa.

Kristoff had found out from a group of bandits that the number of infected hidden in the city was rising. The military was concerned about keeping the school safe, as it was one of the few clean places left, the group had told him.

The school had upped the amount of inspections to two a day, one in the morning, and one at night. No one had been scanned positive yet, but Anna knew it was only a matter of time. They always found _someone._

Elsa was doing her best to ensure their safety on the journey. She'd started smuggling food out of the cafeteria, and she and Kristoff even planned on taking some weapons from the armory. She'd stolen a small amount of health supplies, like bandages and rubbing alcohol, from the medical ward, and a United States map from the main office.

They were just waiting for the right day, that feeling they'd get where they'd just _know_ that now was the time to act. The sisters would give him pointed looks at morning inspection, but he'd always shake his head.

Anna had trouble sleeping; her constant nervousness about their mission made her nightmares worse. She kept dreaming about becoming infected, about getting bit, about being left behind by Elsa and Kristoff, about getting caught by the military. Every time she'd wake up, her heart bursting from her chest and her mind screaming. She'd shakingly crawl down off her bunk, and lie next to Elsa in hers, who was always ready to comfort her. "We're going to be okay," Elsa would whisper, hugging her close. "We've got a good plan, we're going to get that cure, and we're going to be safe."

Anna didn't know why she was so nervous. She had always been so carefree and fearless, but now with all this stress pressing down on her from all sides, she felt like she was going to crack.

Thankfully, she still managed to steal a few moments of peace, even fun. One evening she, Elsa, and Kristoff had snuck up to the roof again for some quiet, when Kristoff found some spare bricks. Anna had jokingly suggested that they throw them at the office building that was a couple hundred feet away from the school, and to her surprise, Kristoff reluctantly agreed, so long as they stay quiet.

Anna had a feeling Elsa had told him about what a rough time she was having with the idea of the escape, but nevertheless, a competition quickly began. Anna had boasted that she could hit more windows that Kristoff could, to which he laughed and told her, "only in your dreams." Elsa had agreed to be referee. They chucked the bricks as hard as they could, making sure to take cover when a guard walked by.

Kristoff did excellently, of course, Anna could tell just by watching him that he was incredibly strong. However, her appreciation for his muscular frame left as soon as it came. Every time he successfully hit a window, he'd throw her this stupid gloating smirk that was driving her crazy. God, how was she going to survive living around this guy for the next few months? Good thing she had Elsa to casually nudge Kristoff every time he threw a brick, throwing off his aim and in the end allowing Anna to win.

"What the hell, Elsa?" Kristoff exclaimed, pouting in disbelief.

"Take that!" Anna cheered, jumping in place. "I am the brick champion!"

Kristoff folded his arms over his chest and frowned. "Only because of Elsa," he muttered, scowling more when Elsa started to giggle.

"Good job, Anna," she smiled, ruffling her sister's hair.

Anna blushed and smiled back. It was nice to see Elsa laugh, she rarely did it anymore. Not that Anna was much better. "Thanks."

Elsa opened her mouth to respond, but was quickly cut off by the sound of a large door being slammed shut underneath them.

"I heard noises!" One soldier called out the others across the lot. "Search the area, it could be intruders!"

"Shit," Kristoff muttered, ducking behind a broad chimney. Anna and Elsa ran over to him, holding their breaths and trying to still their pounding hearts.

_If we get caught it'll all be my fault, _Anna kept reminding herself, _we could get punished or killed for breaking the rules, and it'll be because of ME. _She squeezed her eyes shut, counting down from ten in her head.

The soldiers walked through the entire lot, calling out for each other as they looked for the source of the noise. Elsa held Anna's hand tight, their palms both sweaty. The soldiers seemed to calm down when they realized they couldn't find anyone, but it wasn't over yet.

"Check the roof," the sergeant told the other two. "We can't have people sneaking in here, you know how those bandits are."

_SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!_ Anna huddled closer to Elsa, her heart beating faster with every step the two soldiers took up the ladder. Kristoff swore under his breath, and tossed Anna an angry glare. Great, another thing for him to hold over her head, if he'd even get the chance to.

They were beyond dead.

Her stomach lurched as she heard the sound of two pairs of military boots hitting the hard concrete of the roof. She felt like she was going to be sick.

"Do you see anything?" One asked the other, walking over to the chimney.

"I don't see shit," the other muttered, adjusting his gun. "It was probably just an animal or something."

Elsa wrapped a protective arm around Anna, giving her a squeeze of reassurance, as the soldier's footsteps got closer…and closer…

…And stopped.

"There's nothing up here," he muttered, turning his back to the chimney. "I'm sick of this BS."

"Well, we'll be out of here soon." His comrade muttered. "Thank God."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The soldier sounded surprised. "Didn't you hear? There's at least a thousand of those fucking infected getting into the city. They managed to tear down the fence from the South side of town, it's a mess."

"So what are the heads going to do?"

He laughed dryly. "We're getting shipped out, and they're going to blow this whole city sky high."

Anna fought back a gasp, instead turning to look at Elsa with wide, terrified, eyes.

The other soldier sounded shocked. "They're going to bomb it? What about the citizens?"

"You think they give a damn? They're just a liability to the government, anything left of those 'officials' just want to save their own asses. It's going to happen soon, that's all I know."

The first soldier whistled. "God damn…the whole world has gone to shit."

"Don't I know it."

The soldiers climbed back down to the ladder, continuing their conversation with talks on winter shipments and food rations, but Anna didn't process a single word. She turned to look at Elsa and Kristoff, whose faces were awash with all the same emotions she was feeling; realization, fear, and then desperation.

Kristoff turned to look at both sisters, his face slightly pale.

"We leave tonight."


	5. The First Night

**13 Years Earlier**

"Get down!" Elsa hissed, yanking Anna into the bushes as another swarm of crazy people ran by. Anna fought back a yelp, wincing as her legs got scratched by some thorns. The swarm ran past them, further down the suburban street, where more bodies and terrified screams awaited them.

"What do they want from us?!" Anna whispered frantically, starting to feel sick again as she watched a man get attacked by the swarm.

"They're sick," Elsa said, looking disgusted as they watched the infected people tear the man to pieces. "_Really _sick."

Anna fought back the fearful tears threatening to escape. "We have to get to Mom and Dad," she whispered, "They're still safe right?"

"Yes!" Elsa exclaimed, a little too sternly. "I mean…they have to be." She stood up from the bushes, double-checking that they were in the clear. "C'mon," she said, helping Anna up. "We're only a few blocks away from home."

Anna knew they were running, though by now her legs felt numb. She was simply moving through space at this point, her mind moving too fast for her to think straight. _We have to get home,_ she kept telling herself, _we have to get to Mom and Dad._

The sisters were both covered in dirt and blood, and even some oil from the gas station that had exploded back in the city. Both of their legs were scratched up from scrambling over fences and crawling through bushes, though Anna couldn't really register the pain. Anna was so scared, she could barely breathe. She kept falling over, scraping her knees, trying not to burst into tears.

"You've got to get up!" Elsa would always say, yanking her off the ground. "We have to get to Mom and Dad!"

So she kept going.

The whole world looked different; everywhere people were in a panic, running, fleeing, getting attacked, crashing cars. The house of a neighbor was on fire, as well as several others. People were getting into fights, running out of their homes, firing off guns, and crying for help.

Anna had never seen so much intense violence and disaster; except for in the action movies her Dad got mad at her for watching. But this was different, this was real, and it was taking place before her very eyes.

They ran past the danger, destruction, and death, narrowly avoiding being caught in the crossfire, until they turned onto their own street, where everything was quiet.

Eerily quiet.

The screams for help were faded and seemed far away, as though they were in another world. The crickets were chirping, the wind rustled the trees, a few birds flew past, a dog barked from someone's backyard, and the streetlights cast yellow-white halos over the sidewalk.

Everything looked normal.

Well, it would have, if it wasn't for the fact that the windows of Anna and Elsa's house were shattered and broken into, the flower beds were trampled and blood-drenched, and all the lights inside were off.

_This couldn't be good._

The girls stepped down the street quietly, hand-in-hand, their knuckles white. Anna wondered if Elsa was as scared as she was. "M-maybe they're just asleep?" She whispered hopefully, knowing by the look on Elsa's face how naive the statement really was.

"Maybe," Elsa muttered, though Anna knew she didn't really mean it.

Even though Anna had lived in this house her entire life, walking up the front steps felt ominous and foreign. _Please let them be okay_, she prayed. The sisters carefully opened the front door, peeking their heads in. "M-mom? Dad?" Elsa whispered, stepping into the dark foyer.

The house was silent. Everything was just in place; Elsa's paintings were still hung on display, as well as their family portrait - it was the first thing you saw when you entered the home. The carpet was nice and clean, the air even still held the hint of the perfume their mother would wear. Everything looked fine, until they got to the living room.

Anna entered behind Elsa, drawn over by the sound of her sister's terrified gasp. Blood was splattered on the walls, the TV was broken and on the floor, the curtains were torn, glass from the windows was all over the floor, and the room smelt like the decay Anna had smelled on the man who'd attacked her. The muggy summer air drifted through the open windows, making the room seem hazy. Silver moonlight shone through as well, illuminating two bodies that stood with their backs to the girls; a man and a woman. The woman wore the same purple summer dress their mother had been wearing this morning, and the man had the same brown loafers Anna's father had let her stand on when they danced together in this exact room.

Salty tears mixed with slick blood and dirt as Anna stepped closer to the pair. "M-mom?"

With a screech, the couple turned on the girls, their eyes red and bloody like all the others. Red, blotchy spots covered their once familiar faces, and gleaming red bite marks adorned their necks.

"Anna!" Elsa screamed, yanking her sister out of the way just as their father lunged for her.

Anna burst into tears, clutching onto Elsa for dear life. "T-they're…oh god…"

"We have to move!" Elsa exclaimed, pulling her sister out of the room. They ducked as their mother swiped at them, her hand smacking against the wall with a bang that resonated the girls to the core. They ran back to the foyer, Anna's heart pounding in her throat.

Their parents followed them down the hall, croaking and screeching. They were almost free, until their father grabbed Anna by the heel, flipping her onto her back and dragging her back into the living room. _"ELSA!"_ Anna shrieked, trying to grab a hold of something. Her fingers dug into the thick rug underneath her, but it was no use. She could feel her father's horrid breath getting closer to her as he snarled, his teeth dangerously close to her neck. "G-get away!" She yelped, finally kicking him right in the face.

He recoiled, clawing at his face and stumbling backwards with an angered croak.

Elsa lifted Anna up again, wrapping an arm around her and guiding them out of the house. They ran as fast as they could, their feet smacking hard against the pavement. Anna didn't know where they were going, or what they were going to do; she just ran and ran and ran until she found herself at the elementary school playground, hiding in highest tower of the wooden play castle. Elsa was crouched beside her, her breaths harsh and rough. She ran her hands through her hair, looking up at Anna with a shocked horror as the weight of what they'd just witnessed fully set in.

Anna couldn't stop sobbing; her cries echoed through the night, muffled only when Elsa put her hand over her mouth. "W-we have to stay quiet!" She whispered, her voice hoarse and shaky. "W-we can't attract any m-more of them!"

Anna just shook her head, her whole body convulsing. "W-we never should have left them," she sobbed, "_Never._"

Elsa looked at her, her eyes filled to the brim with tears. "I know."

Anna woke to someone shaking her and whispering her name urgently. "It's time to go," Elsa whispered, handing Anna her backpack. "It's 10:00, we don't have much time."

* * *

><p>Anna sat up quickly, her heart immediately leaping into overdrive and her nightmare still fresh on her mind. "Alright," she nodded, trying to sound more brave than she felt. If there was one thing she promised herself, it was that on this journey she would prove to both her sister and Kristoff that she could be strong. She would be able to handle dangers on her own - no babysitting required.<p>

She suited up, tying her sneakers tight and zipping up her hoodie. She shoved some last minutes things into her bag, like her water bottle, a pocket knife, and her watch. Elsa had told her to only pack necessary things, but Anna had managed to slip one personal effect into the back pocket of her denim shorts; a charm bracelet her parents had bought for her 10th birthday, complete with snowflake charms Elsa had picked out, just for her. It was one of the last things Anna still had from their old life, the last thing that reminded her that this world was not always as bleak and miserable as it was now. She was hoping that with this cure, they could have some hope that things would get better again. Maybe things could be normal.

Elsa was waiting in front of their dormitory door, her face stern and serious. "Are you ready?" She asked as Anna approached her. "Because once we leave this room, everything changes."

Anna took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and nodded. Whatever was out there, she was willing to face it. Whether clicker or military or anything in between, she knew that with her sister, they could make it. She was going to get their happy ending, their last hope for survival.

She was ready.


	6. The Escape

"**T**ake this," Kristoff muttered, tossing a 9 millimeter pistol into Anna's hands.

She caught it clumsily, almost dropping it to the ground. "A g-gun?" She stammered, looking at the object in dread. "W-what is this for?"

He rolled his eyes. "Self defense."

Their voices were low, but every part of Anna felt loud and intense. She was standing steady, but inside she was shaking like a leaf. She kept looking out the window of the small apartment room that was the armory, making sure no soldiers were heading their way.

Elsa rummaged through the shelves, stealing boxes of ammo and several different weapons. "Be careful with that Anna," she said, looking concerned. "It's not a toy."

"I know!" Anna pouted, still eying the gun in distaste. "I'm not stupid! I just…I don't want to kill anyone."

Kristoff grabbed a bow and quiver, slinging it over his shoulder. "Then prepare to get killed."

"_Kristoff!"_ Elsa scowled, narrowing her eyes at him.

He shrugged, loading up a rifle. "What? It's true. If she doesn't learn to defend herself, she's not going to make it."

"I know how to defend myself!" Anna snapped, shoving the gun into her back pocket. "Just not with guns!"

He snorted. "Sure."

"Come on you two," Elsa whispered, peeking out the door. "We don't have much time."

They snuck out the back door of the armory, into the hot summer night. All of Anna's senses were heightened; sounds seemed louder and her vision seemed sharper, not to mention her heart was beating so loud and hard she was sure everyone could hear it from miles away.

The complex was quiet for the most part, everyone was ordered to be in their dormitories at exactly 9:00, so the only sounds to be heard was the occasional conversations of soldiers or the wheels of the military trucks driving through the lot. They had to duck behind buildings and other trucks several times to avoid being caught, Kristoff guiding them the whole time.

After what seemed like an eternity, they made it to the front gates, ducking behind one last military van. Two guards were patrolling the fence, guns in tow. They scanned the perimeter, but never strayed too far, always coming back to the exact spot Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff needed to get to; the gates.

"What are we going to do?" Anna whispered, turning to look at Elsa.

Kristoff answered for her. "Elsa, you and I will jump them from behind. They should have keys in their pockets."

Elsa nodded. "Alright."

Anna frowned. "What about me?"

"You wait here," Elsa and Kristoff said together, taking off.

Anna scowled and folded her arms over her chest. She just wanted to help, and they weren't even giving her a chance!

She watched as Elsa and Kristoff snuck up on the guards. They were silent and swift, jumping up from behind and placing their hands over the soldiers' noses and mouths. Her stomach churned as she watched the guards squirm, trying to fight back, their shouts for help easily muffled, before slowly crumpling to the ground, motionless. Kristoff nodded to Elsa, and they knelt down, examining the bodies.

"Are they dead?" Anna whispered, rushing over.

"No, just knocked out," Elsa muttered, rummaging through the man's coat.

"We've got to hurry," Kristoff whispered, looking over his shoulder. "New soldiers could be coming any minute, and these ones won't stay knocked out for long."

"Got it!" Elsa whispered. She extracted a small silver key from the breast pocket and tossed it to Kristoff, who unlocked the gate with ease.

"Everyone ready?" He asked, turning to look at the sisters as he pushed the gates open.

They nodded.

Elsa held her sister's hand. "Stay close to me," She whispered.

Anna smiled gently, leaning closer to Elsa. As much as she hated being babied by her sister, now that they were about to face the world, she wanted them to stick together. "Let's go."

And with that, they ran, through the gates, past the fence, out of the complex, and onto the dark city streets. The air felt somehow muggier out here, like it hadn't been disturbed for quite some time. They ran until they got about a half mile away from the school, where Kristoff said they could walk, as long as they were quick.

Everything looked so much different than Anna remembered. Skyscrapers were now broken and crumbling, covered in moss and vines. Actually, grass seemed to cover everything. Plants were growing right out of the pavement and buildings; vines were wrapping around benches, bursting through windows, climbing out of the radiators of crashed cars. It was all so surreal; like something out of a dream.

"What happened here?" Anna whispered.

Kristoff shrugged. "Once people stopped taking care of everything, nature took over."

Elsa smiled gently. "It's kind of pretty, in a weird way."

Anna nodded, looking up at the city in awe. But while the plant life was intriguing, it couldn't cover up the disaster that lurked underneath. The buildings were all dark and empty. Barricades of cars and taxis were scattered all over the sidewalks. A burnt, crumpled American flag still hung from the flagpole outside the old bank. Debris from buildings, cars, and who knows what else blanketed the street, making it tricky to navigate. Seeing the world destroyed wasn't even the worse part; thinking about all the tragedy that had caused it was. Just being back in the city made her remember those first days of the outbreak; when all hell had broken loose. They were so young, and yet they'd lost so much.

Anna tripped over a small crevasse in the pavement, landing on her knees. "Ow!" She gasped, pulling out a large piece of shrapnel from her skin. The blood spurted out and down her leg, making her eyes widen.

"Watch your step," Kristoff muttered, kicking some debris out of their way.

Anna scowled, but wasn't able to hold back a wince of pain. "Thanks."

"Come on," Elsa said, pulling her up by her hand. "We'll get you fixed up once we get to the bridge. You can do it, alright?"

Anna nodded shakily, trying to ignore how badly it was starting to sting. "A-all right."

Kristoff sighed, scanning Anna over like he always did when he was wanting to say something critical to her. "Just…be careful," he muttered instead, his voice strangely soft on the last note. "It's not safe out here, and we've got to keep an eye out for clickers. We all heard what those soldiers on the roof-"

And then, an alarm.

A siren went off in the distance, a little less than a mile away. It echoed right through the city; loud, blaring, and urgent - originating right from…

"The school!" Elsa gasped, her eyes widening in alarm.

Anna felt her body go cold. "W-what does it mean!?"

"Shit!" Kristoff exclaimed, breaking off into a run. "They know we've escaped! We've gotta go, NOW!"

"Come on, Anna!" Elsa cried, pulling her sister down the street.

The alarm sent chills into her spine, and the once beautiful yet eerie city now just looked like a maze of darkness, cars, plants to tangle your legs in, and dead ends for you to get stuck in. The sirens of military trucks followed behind as the trio took off down the city streets, running for their lives. Anna tried to go as fast as she could, but her knee was making things difficult. Every step, jump, and leap sent shockwaves up her calves. Thankfully, it wasn't too hard to ignore it, as she was focused solely on getting to safety.

The sirens grew in number and volume as more soldiers were alerted to the escape. Anna could only imagine what it was like back at the camp. They'd force everyone out of bed, out into the lot, and one-by-one take roll call until they found out the inevitable truth.

If they didn't make it out, they'd be shot for sure. Leaving the school, putting everyone else at risk, disobeying direct orders from the law; all combined it was the worst crimes you could commit, other than getting bit. Anna did her best to keep up, clutching onto Elsa's hand so hard she was surprised it hadn't ripped off. The sirens got louder and louder, until headlights started flashing down the streets. Anna glanced over her shoulder, her eyes widening in horror as she saw a fleet of military trucks flying down the street behind them. The lights scanned the road before focusing right on them, illuminating them as targets. Anna glanced around for a place for them to hide, but there was none. Any place they went, the military would easily spot them, and by now, they'd made it to the heart of the city, where it was all parks and open spaces.

"Where do we go?!" Anna yelped, looking to Kristoff and Elsa for help.

"Down!" Kristoff snapped, stopping to bend over and yank a manhole cover away from the ground.

"But there's clickers down there!" Elsa yelped, sounding delirious.

Kristoff glared at her. "And the military's up here - take your pick!" He jumped into the hole, disappearing into the dark.

Anna looked between the manhole, Elsa, and the trucks; the sound of screeching tires screaming in her ears. "Elsa!?"

Elsa groaned, glancing down into the sewers. "Fuck it," she muttered, jumping in after Kristoff.

As much as Anna wanted to go anywhere other than a dark, creepy, infected sewer system, she knew it was either that or being shot on sight.

The sewer won out.

She jumped in after them, pleased to see that she landed on her feet for once, though rather hard. "Dammit," she groaned, rubbing her throbbing knee. She looked up to see Elsa and Kristoff pressed against the dark brick wall, beckoning her over rapidly.

"You okay?" Elsa whispered, brushing Anna's hair out of her eyes as she ran over.

"I think so," Anna said, still feeling a little shaky.

She pressed herself up against the wall too, not able to look up at the night sky that shone through the hole above. They heard cars drive up, stop, voices, until at last someone kicked the manhole back into the ground, leaving the group in pitch-black darkness. Anna only relaxed when they heard the trucks drive past overhead.

They were safe…for now.

"They shouldn't follow us in here," Kristoff said, cautiously moving away from the wall, "They know how bad it is down here."

"I thought we were going to take the alleys?!" Anna snapped. "Why are we down here where the infected are supposed to be!?"

"Keep it down!" Kristoff whispered, getting out his flashlight. "They're attracted to noise, not to mention that fucking siren was no help. We've got to be careful."

Elsa nodded, getting out a pistol. "We'll be okay Anna," Elsa assured, though Anna knew by her eyes that she was still frightened. "We've just got to stick together, and we'll make it."

Anna sighed nervously, getting out her own flashlight. She had obviously never been in a sewer system before, but it was just like how she'd expected; dark, dingy, and drenched in a horrid smell of waste and decay. The fact that clickers were hiding down here didn't make it any better.

Her heart seemed to be in an everlasting hyper-active state as they made their way through. The water that used to flow through the city was now mostly dried up, except for a few deep parts they had to wade through.

"This is disgusting," Elsa muttered, shaking off the brown, green-ish water as they made it to another tunnel.

"Well, it is a sewer," Kristoff reminded them, though he himself look repulsed by it all. "One that hasn't been kept up with for 13 years. Most of this is just rain water and…other stuff."

Anna stuck out her tongue, trying not to gag. "Gross."

They trudged on, Kristoff following the faded paint on the walls as a guide. The air around them was hot and wet, and she kept having to push her bangs back, trying to stop them from getting stuck to her forehead with sweat. Anna couldn't even begin to stomach how awful it smelt down here, either. Sewers on their own must have smelt bad enough, let alone ones that had dead and decaying clicker bodies lying around.

"W-what is that!?" she'd gasped upon discovering the first one.

Kristoff had said the bloaters were the most disgusting, but Anna couldn't see how anything could be worse than the clicker before her. It had a human body, but its skin was a sickly white, covered in fungi and even some dead plants. The head was completely split down the middle, a large fungus growing right from its brain and onto the rest of its body. Dried mucus was stuck to the remains of its teeth, and their jaws were hung open in a final, agonized cry.

"Oh my god," Elsa muttered, taking a step back.

"It's dead," Kristoff said, digging in his backpack. "Here, take these." He handed the girls each a gas mask and slipped on his own. "I stole them from the military truck before we left."

Anna examined the object carefully. "What are these for?"

"Spores," Kristoff explained, his voice sounding muffled and odd behind his mask. "They're from the bodies of the infected, if you breathe them in, they'll infect you."

"Put it on," Elsa instructed, eyeing the dead clicker body.

Anna did so quickly.

"Is everyone okay?" Kristoff asked, kicking the body out of their path of travel.

Anna snorted. "Other than being completely grossed out, yeah, we're_ totally_ fine."

He didn't seem to enjoy her sarcasm. "Then let's keep moving," he said, with what Anna could only imagine was a roll of his eyes behind the mask he was wearing.

The sewers were quiet in the most uncomfortable way possible. All that could be heard was their own ragged breathing and the water that dripped down the walls, landing onto the concrete beneath their feet with a harsh '_plink.'_

She could now see what Kristoff had meant by the spores; the air around them was growing thick with a sort of green, hazy mist, emanating out of the dead bodies Anna tried not to look at.

Every dead clicker looked more disgusting than the last. If this was how bad they were dead, Anna didn't want to see them alive. Thankfully, they hadn't come across any live ones yet, but that didn't stop Anna from looking over her shoulder and glancing down waterways, looking for any signs of infected.

"H-how much further?" She whispered to Kristoff, holding onto Elsa's hand with white knuckles.

He examined the sewer wall, trying to read the faded markings it once bore. "By the looks of it, we're only about 20 blocks away," he muttered. "If we continue down this tunnel we should be out within a half hour, tops."

Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, because I can't wait to get out of-"

She was quickly cut off by a loud croak, and her own scream, as a clicker pounced on her from the darkness, pinning her against the wall and lunging for her throat.

"ELSA!" Anna screeched, reaching for her gun.

Elsa screamed for help, doing whatever she could to get the large clicker off her. "ANNA!"

Kristoff quickly loaded his rifle. "Stay back!" He shouted to Anna, and fired off two shots that echoed throughout the sewers. The clicker fell dead to the ground, ruby blood spilling from its head and onto the ground, leaving Elsa terrified but unharmed.

"Are you okay?!" Anna exclaimed, running over to her and throwing her arms around her neck.

"I-it didn't bite me," Elsa stammered, her face pale.

Anna opened her mouth to tell her that she was so glad she was safe, but was interrupted by a horrible, chilling sound.

Thousands of screams, croaks, and screeches echoed throughout the entire sewer system, bouncing off walls, shaking their eardrums numb, getting louder and louder in verbatim; heading right towards them.

_Clickers._

"They heard us!" Kristoff gasped, still aiming his rifle. "We're going to get fucking ambushed!"

"RUN!" Elsa exclaimed, grabbing Anna's hand and taking off.

It was one thing to navigate sewers in the dark, it was another to run through them, completely lost, with a horde of clickers behind you. They came at them from all sides, emerging from tunnels, jumping down from above, crawling out of dark corners. Before long, there was a sea of them, rushing towards the trio at lightning speed. Their croaks and clicks echoed down the passageways, calling out to each other and marking their prey. The smell of death hung over them like a dark cloud, and Anna kept telling herself not to look back, to keep _moving_, and to not be afraid.

Kristoff tried firing off at a few with his shotgun, but it was no use, the swarm only grew bigger and their shrieks angrier. "Damn it!" He scowled, tossing his empty gun behind him.

"There!" Anna gasped, pointing ahead to a ladder that led up and out of the sewers. "We can escape!"

"THEN COME ON!" Kristoff yelled, pushing the sisters in front of him. "We're only a few feet away!"

Anna ran as fast as she could, but her knee was still throbbing and bleeding from the shrapnel wound. It didn't hold out for long. "NO!" She yelped, falling to the ground in pain, incapable of running any faster. She crawled as quickly as she could, but she knew she was a goner; the sound of the infected running was getting louder and louder, pounding towards her like a train about to crush her to pieces.

"ANNA!" Elsa gasped, running back over to her and lifting her off the ground.

"I'll only slow you down!" Anna wailed, trying to move away. "I keep getting hurt!"

"I'm NOT leaving you here!" Elsa barked, dragging her towards the ladder. "Now come on, let's _MOVE!"_

"Hurry up!" Kristoff exclaimed, helping them up the ladder.

The infected surged around the bottom of the ladder, clawing at Kristoff's feet as they all scrambled up as fast as they could.

"Don't look down!" Elsa called out to Anna.

"Go, go, _GO!" _Kristoff exclaimed, his fear not masked in his voice.

Using all her strength, Anna pushed the manhole up and out of the way, scrambling through and onto to the dark, empty street. She threw herself onto the pavement, clutching at her heart and trying to calm herself.

Elsa and Kristoff followed close behind, falling onto the ground and gasping for air. Kristoff slammed the manhole back into the ground, sealing the infected off. The sounds of hundreds of them clawing at the metal disc echoed below, their agonized croaks sending chills down Anna's spine.

He stood up slowly, eyeing the manhole as if it was about to burst. When it didn't, he sighed in relief. "Well…that happened."

"K-kristoff!?" Anna whispered, her voice strung high in fear. She pointed to a lone clicker hand crawling on the ground, having been severed when the manhole had been put back in place.

Elsa gasped, scrambling off the ground and running to stand in front of Anna.

Kristoff scowled in disgust, stomping on the hand and crushing its bones in one blow. "I fucking hate those things," he muttered, glaring at the sewer.

Anna nodded shakily, still in shock. They'd actually made it through a sewer full of a thousand clickers, probably more. Maybe they really could do this. She turned to look at her watch. "I-It's 12:15," she whispered, looking at Elsa and Kristoff.

"That doesn't give us much time," Elsa griped, checking Anna over for bites and cuts.

"We've got to keep moving," Kristoff instructed, digging in his backpack for a new pistol. "You girls okay?"

Anna nodded. "I didn't get bit."

Elsa smiled, looking reassured. "Neither did I."

Kristoff loaded his weapon. "Good, then let's go."

The alleys were a lot less threatening than the sewer had been, but the sirens of the trucks still echoed throughout the city, though farther off than before.

"They're probably going to increase security at the border," Elsa muttered as they crossed the rooftop of a strip mall. "Just in case." The bridge was in their sights now, less than a mile away. The sirens were getting louder, and more shouts of soldiers could be faintly detected as they got closer and closer.

"You're probably right," Kristoff said under his breath, looking frustrated.

"We'll sneak past them," Anna reassured, though she wasn't entirely sure herself. "We just have to stick together, like you said, Elsa."

Elsa smiled grimly at her, her face already worn with the toils of the night. "Just like I said."

They finally made it to the roof of the old warehouse that looked over the city bridge, as well as the fence. They crouched to their knees, scanning the scene and taking it all in. Tall, looming lights lit up the border at 30-foot intervals, revealing the guards that stood watch. Trucks drove past, seeming to be driving up and down the entire perimeter.

"We have direct orders from the general!" One man wearing a soldier's uniform called out to the others. "These convicts stole from, and disobeyed Class 1 personnel, and therefore are to be shot on sight!"

Anna held her breath, her heart hammering in her throat. _They're talking about us._

The bright, silver moon shimmered on the river; Anna could see it from here. They were so_close; _they just had to get past this obstacle and they'd be free; free to run and change their lives, free to plot their own futures."What do we do?" She whispered, not looking away from the bridge.

Kristoff pointed. "There's an opening there," he whispered, gesturing to an area with few light-posts around it, thus shrouded in darkness. "No guard either. If we just wait for that truck to roll by, we can climb up. We'll have to be quick though."

Anna bit her lip, her heart rate spiking again. "Is this the only option?"

He nodded. "I don't like it either, but it's what needs to be done."

Elsa took a deep breath. "Come on."

They used the fire escape ladder to move down the side of the warehouse, making sure to move slowly and quietly, as to not draw attention to themselves. When their feet hit the pavement, they ducked behind an old, crashed car, waiting for the truck to pass by.

Anna kept closing her eyes, counting to 10, trying to do anything to calm their nerves. They were almost there, and yet, all she felt was dread. And when the truck finally drove past again, she didn't feel relieved, nor did she want to move. Either way, she didn't have a choice; it was time.

Double-checking one last time, Kristoff dashed forward, leading the girls to the fence. It was big, at least 25 feet tall, maybe more. "Come on!" He whispered, helping them up with shaking hands.

Anna intertwined her fingers with the chain link metal, grasping onto it tightly. Her knee still stung painfully, but she started moving, not stopping to focus on the pain.

Her heart rate was through the roof, and she kept slipping because of her sweaty palms. Her arms ached by the time they were near the top, she almost felt like she was going to fall at some points, but Elsa was always right there to help her, quietly encouraging her, pushing her on, telling her she was almost there.

"We're doing good," Kristoff muttered, his voice strained as he boosted himself over the top and onto the other side. "Just keep moving."

Elsa helped Anna over, making sure she had a good hold before they made their way back down. The grass and dirt was getting closer and closer, and Anna slowly started to feel less nervous. _They were almost there!_

And suddenly…

"THE CONVICTS!" A soldier shouted.

Before Anna had time to think, lights blinded her from all sides. The military truck pulled up, and men rushed out, guns in hand.

"JUMP!" Kristoff shouted, letting go of his hold.

Anna fell, landing painfully on her knee and crying out in pain.

"Come on!" Elsa exclaimed, landing beside Anna and helping her up. They ran across the field, towards the bridge, Anna's leg hurting so bad she thought she would break it. The sirens were going off again, this time even louder than before. Kristoff took the lead, yelling for the girls to stay on his tail. Lights swept across the field, shining directly on the trio.

"FIRE!"

Gunshots sprayed across the field; one was so close Anna felt the rush of air it left behind as it zipped past her head. The smell of gunpowder and smoke was thick in the air, and the flashes of machine guns lit up the night. There were so many and so loud, Anna could barely think. They just had to get to the bridge, just to the bridge and they'd be safe!

She closed her eyes and ran; ran as fast as she could, ran until her body was screaming in pain but her mind was telling her to not stop, to keep moving, to _run. They were going to make it._

And then, one final shot. One was all it took.

Anna faintly heard Elsa cry out in pain, felt her let go, saw her fall to the ground, and watched her roll down the remainder of the hill, landing at the foot of the bridge.

"ELSA!?" Anna shrieked, running to her sisters side, her heart wild.

Elsa grunted, slowly raising herself onto her elbows. She looked down, eyes wide as she brought her fingers to swirl in the bright blood pouring out of the gunshot wound in her gut, staining her shirt red. "N-no," she whispered, her voice cracking. She turned to look up at her sister; eyes filling with tears. But before she could speak, she let out another whimper of pain, falling back into the ground with a hard thud.

"N-No!" Anna gasped, cradling her sister's head. "Come on, Elsa!" We'll get you out of here! Just try to stand up! Come on!"

Elsa shook her head, gently reaching up to cradle her sister's cheek, her eyes soft but desolate. "I-I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice growing fainter and fainter. "I'm so s-sorry…"

Kristoff ran up to the pair, his eyes wide in horror. "ELSA?! …O-oh my God."

Elsa moved her head to look at him, her eyelids starting to flutter. "T-take care of my sister," she whispered, her voice stern despite the circumstance.

Anna sobbed, her tears pouring down her face. "N-NO! Elsa, come on, you can do this! We made it! We have to get the cure and then you can get better and-"

"Anna!" Elsa cut her off, looking into her eyes desperately. "P-please. Survive. F-for me. I…I love you."

And with one last, shuddering breath, her eyes fluttered close, her heart stopped, and her body fell limp.

"_NO!" _Anna shrieked, falling over her sister's body. "_ELSA!"_

"There's still two more!" One soldier yelled from someplace far off, and the gunshots flew.

"Anna, we have to get out of here!" Kristoff said frantically. He sounded like he was holding back tears.

"NO!" Anna sobbed, gripping onto Elsa's clothes, hair, face. "SHE'S MY SISTER! I can't leave her!"

Kristoff pried Anna away from Elsa's body, swinging her over his shoulder. "I'm not going to let her death be in vain!" He exclaimed, gripping onto her.

Anna sobbed harder, not able to tear her eyes away from Elsa. "ELSA!"

The soldiers ran towards them down the hill, firing more shots. Kristoff ran, taking off down the bridge faster than he'd ever ran before.

Anna watched her sister's image slowly get further and further away, her own body thrashing. "THAT WAS MY SISTER YOU BASTARDS!" She screamed, her vision blurry with tears. She wailed, feeling no comfort when Kristoff brought a gentle hand to her back. Instead she just wept so hard she felt her heart was going to shatter.

She whispered it again, her throat thick with her cries. _"That was my sister." _


	7. The Silver Lining

**S**he could hear Kristoff walking over before he even arrived. His footsteps were slow and wary, as if he was hesitant about coming over to her, as he should be. Anna felt herself tense as he placed his hand on her shoulder, lightly, but enough for her to notice. "It's ready."

Anna just nodded, unable to look at him. She didn't want him to see how red her eyes were after a night's worth of crying (though he had to have heard her). Slowly and shakily, she stood up from the large rock she'd been sitting on as she stared straight ahead into the trees, listening to Kristoff work. It'd felt like hours, and yet even that wasn't enough time.

"How's your leg?" Kristoff asked, looking down to the gauze he'd wrapped around it this morning.

"Can we just go?" She muttered, to which he nodded, and led her out of the clearing.

They walked together through the woods, over to the spot by the river he'd found. A tiny, dug up patch of earth was now lying beside the river bank, with a small grey rock serving as a headstone. Kristoff had carved a small "E" into the stone with his pocketknife; it was nothing elegant, but it would do.

Anna sighed, eyeing the grave with empty eyes. The river water rushed by, misting the air around her and dampening her cheeks. The air smelt of moss and sky and old water, and the crickets chirped softly, their nighttime lullabies only soothing her slightly.

Elsa had always liked the river, just as Anna did. When they were young they'd bike down to the one a little more than a mile away from their home, and spend the whole day enjoying the water. Anna loved it for the thrill of playing in the rapids, but Elsa had always found pleasure in looking for flowers to press into her scrapbook. They'd help each other too; Anna would look for flowers, and Elsa would help her try to fish using a stick, string, and an earthworm. They never did catch anything though. They'd make a picnic and eat on the dock, their toes trailing through the water and their mouths full of the taste of sweet chocolate popsicles.

This seemed like an appropriate spot.

There was obviously no body to bury, so Anna had plucked one of the snowflake charms off her bracelet and shoved it into Kristoff's hand without a word. It was the only thing she had left of her sister, after all. Anna had half expected him to mock her for wanting to bury a charm, but to her surprise, he'd just nodded, and let her be. Now he stood beside her, eyeing her cautiously as she moved forward.

Anna knelt before her sister's grave, the tears flowing down her cheeks. She was silent for a long period of time, trying to collect her thoughts as she listened to the river and the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. She didn't know what to say or where to begin; she just kept telling herself that this wasn't happening, that Elsa would come running to them from the trees and tell them it was all some big mistake, and that she was okay. That they'd cry and hug and Anna would get to see her smile again, to feel her warm embrace and her beating heart. What she'd give just to hear her sister's voice again, encouraging her, singing to her, laughing with her, _loving _her.

"I need you Elsa," Anna finally whispered, her heart growing heavier with every word. "I always have. You w-were _always _there for me and…i-it isn't fair! Y-you said you would do a-anything for me to be safe but the price shouldn't have been your _d-death!"_

She completely broke down on the last word, crumpling to the ground and sobbing her eyes out. All it'd taken was one shot and the blink of an eye, and the only family member she had left was ripped away, never to be seen again. Anna cried harder, gripping onto the grass with white knuckles. "O-Oh Elsa…I m-miss you s-so much! I loved you!"

She bawled and sobbed and wailed until her eyes were dry and her chest ached. The wet earth seeped through her clothes, its scent masking the one of her sister's hair that Anna still could remember. She wanted to curl up into a ball and never wake up again, to never have to feel what she was feeling now ever again, to just drift away and go to _her_, but she knew it was a foolish hope. And hopes were for fools, for people who actually believed things could get better when in reality they only got worse. This she now knew, and while it made her misery worse, she also found a bitter comfort in it too. She just wanted to forget, but Kristoff brought her crashing back down to earth; mumbling that she needed to get up.

"Come on," he said, standing over her. "It's getting dark."

Anna sniffled and sniveled, rubbing her eyes frantically. She didn't want to move, but she was getting cold, so she did as she was told, rising to take the wildflower he handed to her and gingerly place it over the grave. "Goodbye," she whispered.

And that was that.

Kristoff looked as if he didn't know what to do. Anna could tell by one glance into his eyes that he didn't know what to say, or if he should say anything at all, or if he should touch her. Anna honestly didn't care. She didn't want anything from him, anyway. She just wanted to be alone. On her rock. Thus, she walked back to said rock, and sat down, hugging herself and staring at the ground.

Kristoff stayed by the river, looking at the grave forlornly. He hadn't spoken much of Elsa; only to tell Anna that he was sorry for her loss. Anna wondered if he even really cared. She bent over, hanging her head between her knees and fighting back the sobs.

After some time, Kristoff came back over, walking over to the fire pit he'd asked to her set up while he made the grave. She heard him sigh as he examined it, shuffling the dirt with his foot. "Did you start the fire?" He asked, though they both knew the real question was why she hadn't.

"Does it look like I did?" Anna snapped, keeping her back turned to him.

"I asked you to do it," he said, voice laden with both hesitation and irritation. "I know you're still mourning, but Elsa wouldn't want you to get too cold or hun-"

"Don't you _dare _say what she would have wanted!" Anna scowled, turning to glare at him. "You didn't know her, not like I did."

"I still knew her!" Kristoff protested, his brow furrowing. "And I miss her too Anna, don't doubt that. But I'm going to honor her wishes! She wanted you safe and-"

"And WHAT?!" Anna exclaimed. "We never should have left the zone! I would rather be in a prison with my sister than alone and free!"

"You can't spend your time living in the past!" Kristoff's voice was becoming firmer and more angry, but still controlled. "If you do, you'll never be able to move on! I know it's hard but you have to accept her death!"

Anna stood up quickly, ignoring her knee's sting of protest as her eyes began to tear up. "This was _your_ idea! Elsa never would have wanted to escape if she hadn't talked to you! If it wasn't for you she'd still be alive!"

"So this is MY fault!?" Kristoff scoffed, the disbelief rich in his tone.

"YOU played a part in it!"

"I didn't kill her! You can't blame it on me!"

"Well, too bad I do!"

"You're acting insane! You just need to calm down and-"

"SHUT UP!" Anna yelled through her tears, balling her fists. "JUST SHUT UP! You have no right to tell me what to do! You've never lost ANYONE!"

"I'VE LOST EVERYONE!" Kristoff roared, his voice so loud and menacing Anna felt her heart stop. His eyes were dark, and he glared at her with the harshest fury she'd ever seen.

Seeing her fear however, he seemed to take a step back, his eyes falling to the ground. His body contracted, and he looked away, his voice lower and more bitter this time. "Everyone, gone. My mother, my father…all because of me. It's _my_ fault and now it's happening all over again and I just-" his voice broke, and for a moment he seemed to forget Anna was even there. The painful memories flashed across his sullen eyes, and his head lowered, as if in deep regret.

Anna frowned, blinking her tears away. "W-what are you talking about?" She asked, anger being replaced with confusion and slight trepidation.

But as if she'd flipped a switch, he stood up straighter; folding his arms and going back into his shell of solitude. "N-nothing."

"N-no!" She sniffed, folding her own arms. "Tell me! What did you do?"

"It's none of your Goddamn business," he scowled.

"Considering we're going to be spending the next year together I think it is!"

"No. It. Isn't." His was voice cold and unfeeling, just like his demeanor. He turned his back to her, kneeling down to light the fire himself. "Now go get some sleep. We leave in the morning."

Anna looked at her feet. The tips of her shoes were still stained brown from kneeling in her sister's blood the night before, before Kristoff had pulled her away. "Sure, whatever."

He gave no reply; focusing his attention only on the lighter in his hand and the pile of sticks in front of him.

_What an ass, _Anna muttered mentally, going over to lie down in the grass. If Elsa was here, she would have found some way to come between them before they'd even started fighting. She would be sitting down next to Anna, watching over her and keeping her safe as she drifted off to sleep. She'd tell her not to worry about Kristoff, that men were stubborn like that, and it was best not to try and confront them. Maybe she'd sing a lullaby to her, stroke her hair, and point out the stars to her.

Anna looked up to the heavens as her eyes began to close. Out here in the woods, she could see the stars more clearly than she ever had before. Thousands of little, twinkling diamonds tucked into black velvet; so beautiful and yet so far away. She smiled softly as she pictured Elsa up there, dancing with the constellations and making ones of her own, creating beauty and wonder with every touch. Free of worries, free to be herself. Free to dream and laugh and sing as she flew past nebulas and constellations that all shone for her. Maybe she'd even be with their Mother and Father.

A lone tear trailed down Anna's cheek as she closed her eyes, holding onto the thought with everything she had in her.

It was the only foolish hope she had left.

* * *

><p>When she awoke, Anna didn't feel much better. It was as if she had awoken from a drunken slumber; yes, she was sober, but the loss of her sister still plagued her like any other hangover.<p>

She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, taking in the warm summer morning. Surrounded by all these trees, the air felt fresh and clean, and the earth beneath her was soft and wet. Everything felt so natural and comforting. Anna realized that being in the forest wasn't that bad at all, she just wished she didn't feel so lonely.

Anna just tried to remember what Kristoff had told her, even if she was still a little mad at him. Despite what her emotions had told her yesterday, she couldn't let Elsa's death be in vain. She had to be strong for her, and for herself.

Anna took in a deep breath, telling herself today would be better. _You can do it, you can survive._

Anna was only slightly surprised to hear Kristoff moving around, packing up their things. It couldn't have been any later than 7 am, and when she'd fallen asleep he'd still been awake. "Did you even sleep?" She mumbled, skipping the 'good mornings' and eyeing him as he moved around.

"Of course I did," He answered dismissively. He quickly dug through his backpack and tossed over a granola bar, the kind they used to have back in the zone. "Eat," he demanded. "We got to get moving."

Anna picked up the bar eagerly, suddenly realizing how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten anything yesterday, she'd been too upset. "To Salt Lake?" She asked, mouth full of the crunchy sweetness.

He glanced over at her, eyeing her eating style with disdain. "Yes…I would like to get there before winter, if we can."

Anna swallowed and wiped the crumbs off her chin. "Before _winter?!_ You really think it'll take that long?"

"Well, it's a little over 2,200 miles worth of distance, and we are hiking on foot, if you haven't noticed."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Well, I didn't before, but now that you bring it up, I suddenly do."

He doused the last bit of coals, sending wood-burned smoke into the forest air. "Then we're finally on the same page."

* * *

><p>A few weeks went by as Anna and Kristoff trekked through the vast woods, camping out in small clearings or the rare cabins they found. They hadn't seen any clickers yet, only a few rotted corpses inside the occasional cave. Kristoff had mentioned that their hometown was known for having one of the strictest quarantines. Not too many people would be hanging around, which was for the best. Of course, that didn't mean infected couldn't be; after all, they didn't exactly have any strategy skills other than eat, kill, and run.<p>

Despite the chip she still bore on her shoulder, Anna couldn't help but marvel the beauty of the forest. Tall, looming oak trees cast green shadows along the forest floor, beautiful wildflowers growing around their roots. The evergreen trees filled the air with their sharp scent, and the birds overhead flew, singing their evening melodies. Frogs croaked beside the banks and woodpeckers' clicks sprung off trees; their soft sounds peaceful compared to those of the infected.

"I haven't been out in the woods in forever," Anna mused as they walked alongside a small stream. "Not since I was a kid."

"Same for me," Kristoff replied. He was walking a few feet ahead of her; guiding them

down the hiking trail they'd found. "I used to go camping all the time."

Anna looked over at him. "Really? So did we! My family would rent this big camper and-"

He scoffed. "That's not camping."

She frowned. "Yes it is! Just because we weren't sleeping in caves or something doesn't mean we weren't camping!"

"You don't need a cave," he snorted, "But hell, I guess you're doing it now."

Anna couldn't bring herself to smile. "Can we stop to eat soon?" She asked, looking down at her stomach. "I'm starving. We haven't eaten anything in hours-"

"I told you, we don't have much food left!" Kristoff said, sounding annoyed. "Why do you keep asking? We only had a few week's worth to fit in our backpacks, with all the clothes, weapons, ammo, medical supplies, and gas masks we had to pack too. We need to ration whatever food we have left."

"Or maybe we could eat what we have now so we don't starve, then worry about getting more food later?!"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not being ridiculous! I'm hungry!"

"And I'm not?"

"If you were, you'd let me eat!"

"I'm not letting you finish off all we have left!"

"So you'll let me starve?!"

"You're not going to starve!"

"Yes I will!"

"Sure."

She clenched her fists, breathing out through her nose. "Why are you always so…so…"

He snickered, finally turning to look at her. "So what?"

She narrowed her eyes. "So…STUPID!"

He rolled his eyes. "Cute. I'm keeping you alive and now I'm stupid."

Anna put her hands on her hips, her lip curled in a scowl. "Yes, you are! And you're rude too! If you just treated me like an adult for once-"

And then, she froze.

A glimmer, off in the woods behind Kristoff's head, caught her eye. It was silver and sparkled in the sun, and while it only lasted for a second, she saw it clear as day. "What the-?"

"What?" Kristoff smirked. "Don't tell me you're finally realizing I'm right?"

"Not that, idiot," Anna said, glaring at him. "I saw something."

He looked where she had, peering into the thick cluster of trees. "I don't see anything," he said disbelievingly.

"I'm not making it up!" She exclaimed, pushing past him and walking in the direction of the glimmer. "It was silver and shiny!"

He sighed in annoyance, though still followed her. "Looks like you've finally lost it."

Anna ignored him, running towards the trees with a determined glare. She ignored her sore leg, boldly pushed back branches, and kicked through bushes, feeling forward with her hands. The brush enveloped around her, blocking out the sounds of Kristoff, the woodpeckers, and the river. All she could see was a dark green mass of leaves and branches. For a moment she considered this might have not been a good idea, but she pushed forward, determined to show Kristoff she wasn't crazy.

When she finally made it to the other side, she blinked in the bright light of the fading sun. But when she finally managed to take in the scene before her, she stopped, eyes wide.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kristoff snapped, bursting through the trees behind her. "You can't just wander off into a bunch of trees where no one can see you!" What is this even-"

Anna cut him off by gripping his jaw and turning his head to make him look at the sight in front of them. "Look!"

A city, small but vast, was stretched out below them, at the bottom of the large hill they now stood on the top of. The old office buildings shimmered in the afternoon sun, their metal windows reflecting silver sun spots, just like the one Anna had seen through the trees. Unlike their home city, there was no fence, or military trucks, or soldiers on patrol. In fact, there was nothing at all. No cars or people to be heard, only the wind blowing through alleys and empty city streets. Barricades of cars scattered the edges of the town, but they looked long forgotten and abandoned, just like everything else.

Kristoff breathed out slowly. "Holy shit."

"Did you know this was here?" Anna asked, pulling her hand away from his jaw and scanning the area. His stubble had tickled her palm, but she rubbed the feeling off on her thigh, not thinking much of it.

He dug out the map out of his back pocket. "It couldn't have been a very large place, not to mention this map is pretty shitty. It only lists really populated towns."

"Convenient," Anna muttered.

"They started making these kinds after the outbreak, you know, to show where all the quarantine zones were." Kristoff folded back up the map. "This place is too small to be one, plus looks pretty abandoned."

"Maybe we could find food there!" Anna said wistfully, turning to look at him. "Right? This could solve our hunger!"

"It could also be one big clicker trap," Kristoff muttered, his eyes narrowing skeptically. "But you're right, we need food. We just need to be careful." He got out his pistol and started off down the hill, towards the ominous city. "If we hurry we'll make it there by sunset."

Anna smirked, following close behind. "Don't tell me you're finally realizing I'm right?"

Kristoff laughed dismissively. "Wouldn't dream of it."


	8. The Hunt

**U**nlike their hometown back in Connecticut, this new city hadn't fallen to quite as much destruction and despair. The streets were clear of deep crevasses and shrapnel, though green plant life still shown through. The buildings stood firm and tall, and didn't so much as teeter in the wind. The only real signs of the epidemic were the shattered store windows, the broken down cars, and the complete lack of people; without them, this city might have passed for normal.

Anna gripped her pocket knife tightly, feeling less sure of herself as they wandered the city streets. The city had looked like a Godsend from the top of the hill, but it was as if she had almost expected things to look worse than they did. It was far too perfect and far too quiet to be comfortable.

"Shouldn't there be people here?" Anna whispered, looking down the shady streets. "Or even some clickers?"

Kristoff had his gun at the ready, looking even more on high-alert than she was. "I dunno…maybe everyone abandoned it for a quarantine zone. Either way, I don't like it. It looked safer from the outside, but something seems…off."

Anna nodded in agreement, looking suspicious. The city was far too orderly and clean for it to be completely empty; after all, back in the zone the city had been a mess, and that was_with _a full-military staff. This city looked like it'd been upheld to a high honor of organization, even the busted cars on the sides of the street looked like they'd been put there on purpose. Her eyes narrowed further as she spotted spray-painted messages on the brick walls of old apartment buildings; _No Escape, All is Lost, _and _Tourists Will Die._

"Tourists will die?" Anna frowned, eyeing the ominous red paint. "Guess this place wasn't a big vacation spot, huh?"

Kristoff didn't laugh, as usual. "That had to be put up after the outbreak, the paint isn't that old."

"So then what does it mean?"

He looked away. "I don't know, but it can't be good."

Anna chewed on her lower lip, stepping closer to him. She really wished she had Elsa to hold her hand now; anything to soothe the nervousness rising in her, but she also knew there was no way in hell Kristoff would hold it instead. _Not that she even wanted him to,_ she thought with a blush.

Anna reminded herself to focus and looked around the city streets, feeling partially embarrassed for being so spooked. Thankfully, her watchful efforts paid off, as no more than 200 feet away, she spotted a grocery store, it's rusted neon sign glinting in the sunset.

"Hey!" Anna smiled, pointing down the street. "Look over there! It's a grocery, maybe we can find some food!"

"Sounds good," Kristoff said, sounding pleased. "I know we planned to stay the night here, but I don't like the feel of this place. Let's just get the food and get out."

Anna nodded, walking beside him and towards the store. "Fine by me."

They made it to the grocery quickly, where Kristoff used his pocketknife to break open the lock on the big industrial doors, granting them access. "C'mon," he muttered, slipping inside. "Let's make this quick."

Anna slipped in after him, closing the doors behind. The store was a massive sight that brought her back to years lost long ago. When she was younger, she used to love going shopping with her mother; being around so many people and seeing so many things offered to her was intoxicating. Now, as she eyed the grey shelves, battered price signs, and rotted remains of food, her heart sunk in disappointment. Then again, what had she expected, a store full of food in all its pre-apocalyptic glory? 13 years was plenty of time for hungry travelers and hunters to come through here and pick it clean. Nevertheless, she wouldn't give up. "Well, let's get started!" She proclaimed, tucking her knife away and heading to where the fruit stands would have been. "We're not leaving until we've searched the entire store."

Kristoff nodded, though he looked increasingly doubtful. "Just keep your guard up."

Anna started by the fruit, then the meat, then the boxed food, and then the canned. She threw open freezers, emptied boxes, and even dug through the piles of rotted food on the floor. The more empty packages she found, the more frantic she got, and while she tried to keep herself calm, she found herself practically throwing the empty containers across the store in frustration. Close to 30 minutes passed, and while she and Kristoff looked through every shelf, freezer, display, nook and cranny, it was all gone. Not a crumb of food remained.

"You've got to be kidding me," Kristoff groaned, shoving an empty cereal box aside. He trudged back over to Anna, where the old check-out lanes stood. "Absolutely nothing. People cleaned this entire place out."

"Well, there has to be food in other places." Anna surmised, biting hard on her lower lip."I mean, we have an entire town to look through. We'll find food, I know it." The words came out of her mouth, but there was only slight conviction behind them. She knew it, and so did he.

"Let's hope so," Kristoff muttered, heading back to the front doors. "Come on, let's get out of here. I want to be out of this town before…what the hell?"

"What is it?" Anna asked, walking over to him. She peered out the window, eyes widening when she laid eyes upon what had caught his attention.

A man and a woman, not much older than themselves, were walking down the city street, peering at the buildings curiously. The sun was setting, which made the couple slightly hard to spot, but Anna still had a perfect view of them. Their faces were worn and dirty, and they grasped each other's hands tightly. Tattered clothes adorned their bodies, and they held the stance of ones who had endured a long journey.

"People!" Anna gasped, leaning closer to the glass as her eyes lit up. "Actual, real, live people!"

"No shit," Kristoff muttered, his eyes narrowing.

"Let's go talk to them!" She smiled, going to the door. "Maybe they could help us!"

He grabbed her arm quickly, stopping her right in her tracks. "Stop! We don't even know who they are, they could be dangerous!"

She scoffed. "Dangerous? They look like our age! And lost! We could work together! You're not always right, you know! Not everyone is going to hurt us!"

He scowled. "Listen to me! It's not a good idea!"

"How do you know that!?"

"It just isn't!"

"Well, if you're not going to help them, then I-"

The sound of a car engine cut her off immediately, and they turned to look out the window once again. A military truck turned the corner, it's loud rumble far too familiar. It drove down the street quickly, heading right towards the strangers on the road.

Anna frowned. "What the-?"

"Get down!" Kristoff hissed, yanking her to the floor.

Kristoff and Anna peeked over the bottom edge of the window as the military truck pulled to a halt in front of the couple. Two burly men stepped out, their eyes dead set on the strangers. Anna noted the men weren't in military uniforms, and her brow furrowed in confusion. _What was going on?_

The couple stepped closer to the men, first looking grateful, but quickly changing to horror. Their hands raised in fear as the men pulled out guns that were aimed right at them.

"N-no, please!" The man pleaded, stepping in front of the woman. "W-we were just looking for some-"

"Shut the hell up!" One burly man barked, and with a brilliant spray of gunfire, the couple fell to the ground, dead.

_"Oh my god!"_ Anna gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. Her face was as white as a sheet, and she felt like she was going to be sick. "B-but they weren't even doing anything w-wrong!"

"Stay quiet," Kristoff whispered urgently, making her duck down again.

Anna whimpered, clutching onto the front of his jacket tightly. She didn't want to look but she couldn't look away. Even the military had reasons for their kill, no matter how petty they were. This was cold-blooded murder, and it shook her to the bone.

"Check the bodies!" One of the men ordered, and they both bent over, rummaging through the pockets and backpacks of the dead couple.

"Nothing," one muttered, kicking the body aside. "The others won't be happy about this. 3rd group of tourists to come through here this week, and we still didn't get a fucking thing."

"There'll be more," the other said, lifting the man's body over his shoulder. "There always is. Now c'mon, let's go dump these."

They clambered back into their truck and took off into the blood-red sunset, leaving only the empty backpacks and pools of blood behind.

Anna was shaking violently, her knuckles white from clutching Kristoff's jacket so tightly. "W-what was_ that?!"_ She whispered, unable to get the image of the couple falling down dead out of her mind.

"Tourists will die," Kristoff muttered, pulling away from her. "Great."

"They said there were others!" She squeaked, turning to look at him. "What does that mean?!"

"It means this whole town is probably run by a gang of them. They hide out in cities and wait for people to rob and kill. I heard about them in the zone, I think people call them Hunters."

Anna swallowed slowly, trying to stay calm. "So what are we going to do?! I-I don't want to get shot!"

He readjusted his gun. "You won't. We're going to find some food and get out of this town."

She didn't look so sure, but she knew hiding in this empty store wouldn't get them anywhere. "Alright," she nodded, getting out her pocket knife again.

"Just stay by me," Kristoff instructed, cautiously opening the store doors. They made their way back down the street, sticking to the shadowy parts of the towering apartment buildings. As they got further into the inner city, the buildings became more dilapidated. The clean, polished city entrance was only an illusion meant to draw them in; the deeper into the city they went, the more its true nature showed. More graffiti, dried blood pools, and bullet casings decorated the city like an omen of death.

Anna had felt nervous upon entering the town, but now all she could feel was pure dread. Those men had just attacked that couple without so much as a warning; what if it happened to them too? She closed her eyes tightly, trying to stop herself from flashing back to Elsa's incident.

_Survive for me. _The words were still branded onto Anna's heart; it was the reason she was still here, the reason she had to find food, the reason she was going to fight. They just couldn't give up, no matter how hard it got.

"There's another shop up the road," Kristoff pointed out, interrupting her thoughts. "Let's go check it out."

Anna nodded, making herself focus. "Sure."

This second store was small and antiquated, much different than the modern supercenter they'd just left. An old, wooden sign reading _General Store _hung above the door, smacking against the building with a repetitious rhythm. The sound made Anna jump and chide herself for glancing around for the military truck. "I can't wait to get out of here," she mumbled, approaching the store door.

Kristoff sighed. "Way ahead of you."

Anna pushed open the door of the shop, jumping back in surprise when a rope tied to the inner door handle snapped loudly, sending a cement block that had been hanging from the ceiling swinging right out the storefront window. The glass shattered loudly and flew everywhere, while the cement block landed in a car windshield, making even more noise.

Anna glanced at Kristoff "What the-?" She took a few shaky steps back, unknowingly getting her foot tangled in a rope on the floor.

Kristoff looked at her foot, his eyes widening. "Anna, stop!"

She looked down in confusion, trying to tug her foot loose, but it was too late. With a scream, the rope contracted and she was yanked up into the air. Her knife fell out of her hands and plummeted to the ground below, leaving her even more frightened. The world was flipped upside down, and she grasped at the air as she swung wildly. "KRISTOFF!"

"Stop yelling!" He hissed, glancing out the window. "That cement block was an alarm! Those hunters will be on their way back here! Now I'm going to cut you down, just hold on."

Anna closed her eyes, clenching her fists tight as the blood rushed to her head. _Okay, don't freak out, don't get scared, _she ordered herself. _Everything's going to be okay. Kristoff's going to cut you down and you'll be fine._

She listened to Kristoff as he rummaged through the shop, looking for the counterweight. "Where the hell is it?" She heard him mutter, trying to follow the trail of rope.

"Hurry up!" Anna demanded, starting to feel light-headed.

_"I am!"_ He snapped. "Here." He knelt before an old soda machine, getting to work on cutting the rope tied around it.

Anna breathed a trembling sigh of relief, but she only had one moment of ease, as no less than 5 seconds later she heard the screech of tires outside the store door. "The trigger went off!" A man's voice shouted. "They're in here!"

Anna started thrashing, trying to break herself free. _"K-kristoff!"_

"Stop squirming!" He scowled, cutting faster. "Get out your gun!"

Anna fumbled for her pistol, almost dropping it in her fright. "A-and then what!?"

_"Shoot them!"_

The two hunters kicked the door down, guns aimed and ready to fire, but when they entered the room, they seemed torn between shock and amusement to see Anna white as a sheet, dangling from the ceiling and desperately trying to aim her gun. "S-stay back!" She squeaked.

The bigger of the two laughed richly. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Another couple of dumb ass touri-"

Anna squeezed her eyes shut, and fired up. The gunshot was loud and quick, and went straight into the ceiling, sending old drywall crashing down onto the hunters. At the same time, Kristoff cut her free, and she fell to the ground with a gasp of pain.

"You were supposed to shoot _them!" _Kristoff scowled, rushing over and scooping her off the floor.

"Stupid _bitch!"_ One man growled, kicking the drywall off. "You're going to pay for that!"

"Go, go, _go!_" Anna exclaimed, scrambling out of Kristoff's arms and breaking off into a run.

The men quickly recovered from the blow, scrambling onto their feet and firing off shots like crazy. "Fucking tourists!" One spat, his bullet barely missing Anna's head.

Anna and Kristoff sprinted to the back of the store, dodging and ducking to avoid the men's bullets. With a loud grunt, Kristoff kicked the store's back door open, and they ran into the alley, slamming the door shut behind them.

"W-where do we go!?" Anna wailed, running her hands through her hair.

"Follow me!" Kristoff ordered, jumping through the broken window of the adjacent building.

Anna didn't take so much as a glance over her shoulder before leaping after him. They found themselves in an old bookstore, half of which was blown to pieces. Thankfully, there were plenty of bookshelves to make up for the lack of walls, and they ducked behind them, trying to catch their breath.

They could hear more cars pulling up as the men exited the general store. "Tourists! They're making a run for it!" One man shouted. "Male and female, easy targets."

"Easy targets?" Anna muttered. "I almost knocked them out!"

"_Almost_," Kristoff scowled, looking around for an escape route. "Don't get cocky."

"Spread out!" A voice ordered, and the men took off in all directions. "We're not stopping until we find them."

Anna took a deep breath, flinching when she heard a man enter the bookstore. "Where the hell are you?" He hissed, as if he already knew they were in there. He walked towards the other side of the store, kicking old books and scattered papers aside.

Anna turned to Kristoff who instructed her to be silent via a finger to his lips. "Wait here," he breathed, and he took off, crouching down low as he made his way to the hunter.

"_Are you crazy!?"_ Anna wanted to shout, but she knew doing so would be suicide. So instead she peeked around the edge of the shelf, watching as Kristoff snuck up behind the man.

With one smooth motion, Kristoff lept up, grabbed the hunter's neck, and snapped it hard. The man didn't even have time to yell for help before crumpling over, his gun clattering to the dusty, wood-paneled floor.

Anna gulped, staring at Kristoff in shock. She'd seen him knock out those soldiers in the zone, and shoot the clickers in the sewer. But clickers weren't the same as real people, even if said people were murderous and cruel. She self-consciously brought a hand to her own neck, rubbing it softly.

Kristoff saw her frightened look, and for a moment he looked almost guilty. However, the look came and went. "I'm not going to let them hurt us, okay?" He murmured, picking up the gun from the floor and slipping it into his backpack. "Now come on, we need to keep moving."

Anna nodded shakily, scampering up from her spot and dashing over to him. "I'm just glad you're on my team," she murmured. "I wouldn't want to be that other guy."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Of course."

With Kristoff as guide, they made their way out the bookstore and through the city buildings, trying to avoid detection. But the town seemed to be peppered with hunters throughout. No matter how far they ran, where they hid, or what they did, the sounds of their taunting, insults, gunshots, and military vehicles followed. Trying to find their way out of here was even worse than trying to get out of the quarantine zone. While the military had been cold and demanding, these people were vicious, sadistic, and barbarous.

By the time it was dark, Anna and Kristoff had made their way to an old record shop; out of breath and dirty from crawling and ducking through so many buildings. They both flinched as they felt vibrations of the military trucks roll by, and groaned when they heard the hunters hooting and howling like a pack of rabid dogs inside it.

"I-I need to rest!" Anna panted, clutching at her side.

"We can't rest until we're safe," Kristoff replied, looking over the display shelf of CDs and out the store window, half of which was missing.

"We'll never be safe here!" Anna objected, closing her eyes as she tried to catch her breath. "These guys are insane! We've been at this for hours."

"So, let's just sit here and wait for them to find us, is that what you want?" Kristoff snapped.

"No! Of course not!"

"Then let's focus on getting out of here, after that we can rest."

Anna fought back a groan, rubbing her knee. "My leg is still healing."

Kristoff muttered something that sounded like several curses, and turned to her. He glanced over his shoulder before pulling her closer, holding her leg carefully.

Anna felt her cheeks heat up. "W-what are you-?"

"I-I'm just looking at your knee!" He insisted, and Anna could practically feel the heat radiating off his cheeks. "Gotta make sure you're not getting an infection. Now hold still."

Anna sighed, trying to ignore how having his hands on her bare leg tickled a little, and how embarrassed she suddenly was of the fair hairs that adorned her calves. The fact that something as trivial as leg hair could still bother her also amused her to an extent. After all, here she was, in an abandoned, half-caved in record shop, bruised, cut, and tired, running for her life from a group of men who wanted her dead. Shaving wasn't exactly something she could afford to have on mind at the moment.

"It's scarring over," Kristoff muttered, gently rubbing his thumb over it. "You should be fine."

Anna frowned. "But it still hurts a little."

"Well, we don't exactly have any painkillers right now. What do you expect me to do, kiss it and make it better?"

Anna scowled, pulling her knee away from his touch. "That won't be necessary."

He opened his mouth, most likely to make yet _another _sarcastic comment, but stopped when he heard the truck drive by again, this time pulling to a stop. "Get down!" He whispered, lowering his head.

Anna ducked, growing frantic again.

"We can't find them," A man's voice said. It sounded like he was standing right outside the store, and Anna was torn between fear and slight glee that they'd stayed hidden for so long.

"Oh, come _on," _Another voice groaned. "They're just a couple of fucking tourists. We'll find them."

"We better," the other grumbled, kicking some broken glass aside. "There's no way they're getting out of here alive."

There was the sound of a second car approaching, one that came screeching to a halt beside the other. "Another tourist!" Someone inside the car exclaimed. "Spotted entering town 10 minutes ago!"

The men seemed excited, as they clambered back into the truck, taking off down the street. "I've got a good feeling about this one," one laughed.

"Let's go boys!" The other whooped, and even after the trucks had driven away, their callous words still rattled Anna.

"I hate them," She muttered, not able to look at Kristoff.

"I don't blame you," he said, sounding sincere for once. "But it sounds like most of them are heading back to the front of town."

"So we should head to the back?"

"Exactly. Maybe we can find a way out."

Anna sighed, trying to fight off how exhausted she felt. "As long as we get out of here, I'll be happy."

"Then let's go."

They snuck out through the back door of the shop, into another maze of dark alleyways. The streetlights that once provided guidance and radiance had gone dead long ago, leaving the moon as their only source of light. The whole situation reminded Anna of the nightime hide n' seek games she used to play with her friends in the neighborhood, back when she was young. Except this time, the penalty for losing would be more than bragging rights or a tickle attack. They would have to pay in blood.

Anna stayed behind Kristoff at all times, still scared of being spotted by the gang of men. The streets seemed quieter now that the sun was down, and they only came across a few hunters lurking in the side streets.

Kristoff easily took care of them, and while Anna still felt slightly unnerved by watching him kill, she knew it needed to be done. After all, one dead hunter was one less person tracking them down.

By what had to be close to midnight, they finally had a glimmer of hope. Anna felt her heart soar when she saw the city border, or what had to be it. Another barricade of crashed school buses, trucks, and cars lined the perimeter, marking where the pavement ended and the grass began. "We're almost out!" She whispered, pointing ahead. "There's the end of the city! It has to be!"

Kristoff gave a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

They started walking towards the edge; the forest in sight, freedom on the brink, and hopes on the rise until-

Gunshots.

"The tourists!" Someone shouted, and seconds later the figures of hunters were emerging from the barricades, nearby buildings, old cars, and further down the street. Their guns fired at them from all sides, echoing so loudly they would be heard from miles away.

Anna ducked, the bullets just missing her. "KRISTOFF!"

"COME ON!" He shouted, breaking off into a run.

They headed back into the dark city streets, the hunters right on their tails. There were so many more than Anna had expected; how so many people could be so bloodthirsty astounded her. Thankfully, they still had the darkness, which it made escaping the hunters easier. But it still wasn't that simple. The hunters had flashlights in their hands and headlights on their cars. They called out to each other, their presence tightening around Anna and Kristoff like they were nothing more than a pair of house flies caught in their dangerous web. It wasn't until Anna and Kristoff ducked into the room of an old apartment building that they finally found solace, and a moment to catch their breath.

"T-They've got this whole place locked down," Kristoff wheezed, sinking to sit onto the floor in front of the door. "The entire border, the inner city; probably the neighboring forests too."

Anna felt like she was going to be sick. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking and the sounds of gunshots firing off outside were much like the toll of a bell, counting down what time they had left alive. "We're trapped," she whispered, slowly sitting down beside him. "They're going to kill us."

He nodded, running a hand through his hair. "Looks like it."

Anna groaned, burying her face between her knees. _Here we go again._


	9. The Wake-Up Call

**T**hey decided to use the apartment building as a safe house; after all it was in a shady corner of town, and with so many rooms and floors to look through, it would be hard for Anna and Kristoff to be located even if the hunters knew they were inside.

Kristoff had told Anna to get some sleep, that he would keep watch. She remembered how he'd sat down in front of the window, keeping his eye on the entrance to the building below. "Don't worry," he'd muttered as her eyes had begun to flutter. "They won't get us."

It had been the last thing she'd seen before falling asleep, but now, as she awoke the next morning, she realized he was missing.

Anna sat up in the bundle of old sheets she'd been sleeping in, her heart pounding in fear. "Kristoff?!" She whispered, looking around the empty room. It had to be sometime in the afternoon, as the sun that filtered through the old windows cast enough light across the room that she could see clearly. There were footprints in the dusty floor leading from the window Kristof had last been seen at to the door. His backpack was gone, as well as his gun.

_If he wasn't already dead, she was going to kill him._

Anna scrambled up from bed, immediately searching the entire apartment. She looked in every room, but he wasn't there. She opened every closet, but only cobwebs and broken hangers greeted her. She threw back dirty sheets and ratty blankets and even the curtain of the broken-down shower, but he still wasn't there.

"_Where the hell are you?"_ She whispered to herself, storming back into the main room. As more time went on, she became more and more panicked. She paced back and forth in the living room, trying not to freak out, but doing so rather unsuccessfully. What if the hunters had come back and kidnapped him? Wouldn't she have woken up? Why didn't they take her too? What if he ran away? Maybe he was so fed up with her he finally took off! Would he really do that? He couldn't have, he promised Elsa. He wouldn't leave town without her, he couldn't!

After a good hour of worrying, Anna heard the door creak open. Her heart leapt in fear, but she kept her ground. "Who's there!?" She demanded, quickly pulling out her pistol.

"It's _me!_" Kristoff called out, holding up his hands as he slowly entered. He had blood splattered on his cheeks, fresh dust on his shoes, and a perturbed scowl on his face. "Don't shoot!"

Anna smiled in relief, but quickly felt her blood start to boil. The gall of him to look so….so_annoyed, _when she was the one who'd been abandoned here, all alone, without so much as a note. She glared at him, starting to see red. "What the _hell_ were you thinking!?" She snapped, storming over to him and giving him a hard shove. "You can't take off like that without me! If something happened to you, if you got hurt or _killed_, I wouldn't even know! I'd be completely alone! Why would you do that to me!?"

"God, I'm sorry!" Kristoff exclaimed, though he didn't sound very sincere. "I just wanted to scope things out, alone. I didn't want to wake you up or for it to take too long."

"Well, we're a team now!" She snarled, putting her hands on her hips. "You can't do stuff like this! You promised Elsa, and therefore promised me!"

He sighed, finally looking repentant. "You're right, I'm sorry. He sighed, finally looking repentant. "You're right, I'm sorry. But it paid off - I got this." He pulled a tattered map out of his back pocket, displaying it to her as if it was a prized trophy. "It has the whole town mapped out, including the hunters' meeting grounds, lookout points, and schedules. It's our key to getting out of this hellhole."

Anna's eyes widened, and for a moment she felt a surge of glee, but easily masked it. "How the hell did you get that?" She instead said coldly, putting her gun away and walking with him to the dresser.

"I ran into a little…situation with another hunter," he said, lying the map out. "I found this in his pocket when it was over. I found some extra food his backpack, too. Not a lot, but enough to hold us over until we can get out of here. "

"Good. So tell me: how exactly are we going to use this to get out of here?" Anna demanded, folding her arms across her chest as she scanned the map.

"Well, we can't sneak out this time," Kristoff mused, looking over the city map. "There's too many of them, even late at night, look; they have night watchmen at all the exits."

"So you're saying we're stuck?!"

"_No_, I'm saying we just have to barge right out of here, take them by surprise so fast they won't know what hit them."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "And how are we going to do that?"

Kristoff walked towards the window, pointing to the mess of broken cars that lay in the alley outside. "We fix ourselves one of those."

Anna couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. "Are you serious? All those cars are probably broken and old! Not to mention have no gas! There's no way we can just drive one of those out of here."

"That's why we're going to find one to fix," he explained, walking back over to her. "There's hundreds of them throughout the city, all we have to do is find the right parts, siphon some gas, and speed out of here. We might be easy targets on foot, but in a car we could drive faster than them, maybe even knock a few out of our way."

Anna looked at him, still not so sure. After all, the hunters had cars too, and guns. All it took was a few shots through the windows or tires and they'd be as good as dead. But it was the only plan they had, and Anna couldn't let herself die, or spend another day here. She didn't want to stop fighting, not only for her survival, but for Elsa. This plan, as risky as it was, was better than no plan.

"I guess it'll work," She mumbled, looking down.

"Alright!" He smiled, clapping and rubbing his hands together. "Now we've got to get prepared. You still have your gun on you?"

"Yeah?" Anna frowned, pulling it back out. "Why?"

"We've got to teach you how to fire it properly," Kristoff said, walking over to her. "Seeing you pointing that gun at me just now was scarier than any clicker; though with your aim, I would probably be more scared if you were trying to fire at the wall. Not to mention that stunt yesterday was pitiful."

"Hey!" Anna snapped, unable to stop herself from getting defensive. "I got us out of there, didn't I? And I totally knocked those guys out!"

"But things won't always be like that," He insisted. "If you're ever in real danger and don't know how to protect yourself, things could get ugly. I need to make sure you can defend yourself; I don't want you getting hurt."

Anna's anger melted away slightly at his sudden show of concern, and she couldn't help but tease him. "Well, well, well; it almost sounds as if you care for me, Kristoff."

He scowled at her, his cheeks red, and rolled his eyes. "You just need to be safe, okay? I made a promise to your sister, and all that."

"Fine," Anna sighed, taking her pistol out of her back pocket. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. I mean, it could. Because it's a gun and I'd be shooting something, which would definitely hurt whatever I shot at. Also I could shoot myself, which wouldn't be good either. Plus guns are made to hurt people, so yeah."

Kristoff snorted, and for a second Anna thought she even saw him smile. However, she must have imagined it, for when she looked back, he had his usual cool stance in tact. "Alright," he said, taking the gun from her hand. "Now the most important thing to remember is that you're in control. Don't let your weapon scare you."

Anna nodded. "I'm in control, got it."

"Next, you've got to get your aim right. That's what you seem to have the most trouble with." He placed the pistol back in her hands, wrapping her fingers around the handle.

Anna knit her brow as she mused over his words. A part of her was still conflicted over whether she actually did miss those men back at the general store, or if it was just that she didn't really want to hit them. She told herself the first option to make herself feel better.

Kristoff stood behind her, his hands still over hers. "Now," he said, raising the gun to her eye level. "You're going to look through that little notch, right there on the top of the barrel. That'll help you aim."

Anna nodded, focusing on the task at hand, though that proved to be difficult. It was as if she was suddenly reminded that Kristoff was standing closer than he ever had to her, and that he was, in every sense of the word, a _man_. She kept trying to ignore the feel of his calloused palms cupping her hand and his warm breath against the side of her face; brushing and caressing her cheek with each word he spoke. She tried not to enjoy the feel of his strong forearms moving her own smaller ones, but it was surprisingly hard. Even if he was kind of an ass, he was an admittedly well-built, and _slightly _attractive one (but only slightly, she assured herself).

_Wait, what?_

Anna felt her face heat up as she tried to mentally backtrack. He wasn't attractive, he was…_Kristoff_. What mattered was that she could feel safe knowing she had someone strong on her side. That's what was important; nothing more, nothing less. She didn't allow time to let her mind go anywhere else. Instead, she listened to his instructions, closing one eye and looking down the barrel of the gun. "And then what?"

His fingers curled more tightly around hers, steadying her aim. "You've got to keep your eyes on the target at all times; don't look away. If you so much as flinch or freak out you could wind up missing the shot, which could cost you your life."

She nodded again, keeping her eyes right on the dresser he had her aiming at. "Then I shoot?"

"Then," he continued, moving her finger for her. "You place your finger over the trigger, not breaking eye contact. Double-check your aim is still good, take a deep breath, and take your shot."

Anna closed her eyes, taking every word to heart. She wouldn't let herself fail again. In her mind, she was back in the shop, dangling from the ceiling, only this time, she made her shot count. She pictured what it would be like to finally take someone out, to protect herself and Kristoff, to be strong. She smiled softly, though still slightly nervous. "I think I've got it," she whispered, opening her eyes and turning her head to look at him.

Their eyes met, and Anna was reminded once again that they were still standing oh-so close. For a moment Anna thought she saw something there, but told herself it was nothing. Besides, she realized it felt too uncomfortable and awkward to be close like this; looking at each other, back to broad chest, almost nose-to-nose, so she quickly looked away, lowering the weapon.

"Good," he nodded, straightening up and pulling away quickly. "Because we can't afford another fuck up. Next time, it could cost us our lives."

Anna's eyes narrowed slightly as she put her gun away, their moment, whatever it'd been, quickly broken. "Yeah, I know."

He walked to the side of the room, grabbing his backpack off the floor. "Now we need to head out," he instructed, slipping it over his shoulders. "The sooner we can find a car, the better."

"Now?!" Anna gulped, looking at him apprehensively. "In broad daylight? I thought we were going to wait until it was dark?"

"If we do that, it'll be harder to look through the car parts. We'd also have to use our flashlights, which would draw more attention to us. Now's our best option."

Anna sighed and shook her head. She knew he was right, despite the fact that she didn't want to admit it. She grabbed her own backpack and headed towards him. "Why do our options always have to suck?" She said, only half joking.

"Come on," He snorted, guiding her out the door.

* * *

><p>They made their way back through the town, heading in the general direction of where they'd arrived yesterday. They passed plenty of cars along the way; each time Kristoff would tell Anna to cover him while he had a look under the hood, and each time they would come up empty. The engines would be fried, the windshields shattered, or the tires rotted. Sometimes all of the above. All the other cars were a part of what Anna now recognized as windshield alarms, like the one that she'd set off in the general store yesterday. The cars would be parked right next to a store window, internally stripped for parts, and facing the sidewalk. Ordinary to the innocent tourist, a death trap for the weary survivor. Anna might have found the whole setup clever if she didn't know the grim truth behind it all.<p>

Kristoff seemed to become even more tense than usual as time went on. The more vehicles he examined, the worse it got. He opened the hoods more irritably, walked more briskly, furrowed his brow more deeply.

Anna just did as she'd been told and stayed behind him at all times, looking over her shoulder for hunters. "Found anything yet?" She asked as he rummaged through an old van, trying to stay hopeful.

"Can you stop asking the same question every time I look at a car?" Kristoff snapped. Okay, so he was _very _tense. Through his angry muttering and growled curses, Anna had learned that his main dilemma was that none of the cars had batteries, and that they weren't going anywhere without one. Anna understood that it was frustrating, after all, she was experiencing it all too, but it wasn't an excuse for him to take it out on her. She was only trying to help!

"I was just wondering!" Anna pouted, folding her arms. "You don't have to snap at me."

"Actually, I do, because you keep talking instead of keeping watch like you're supposed to!" Kristoff shoved the hood shut angrily and stormed off down the street, still fuming.

"I _was_ keeping watch!" She protested, following right behind him. "And according to the map, most of the hunters are on the other side of town right now anyway. We're safe for now."

"So that's an excuse to slack off?"

"It's not an excuse!"

"It sounds like one to me."

"Well, you're wrong!"

He cut through a small park, where a dried up fountain and broken benches surrounded what used to be flower beds and wildflower patches. "No, I'm not," he snarled.

"Yes you are! You're just being mean!"

He rolled his eyes, turning around to glare at her. "And you're just being annoying! Now can you shut up and let me work?!"

"Make me!" Anna snapped, stepping closer.

His eyes flashed as he opened in mouth in what would probably be a lengthy retort, but it never came. Instead, he paused, froze, and adverted his eyes upward. His face slowly paled as he took a step back, seemingly shocked.

Anna eyed him, her stomach knotting with sudden concern. "What?"

He shook his head, looking disgusted. She asked him again, but when she got no answer, Anna had no choice but to look for herself.

She quickly wished she hadn't.

What she saw reminded her once again how dark and twisted the world had become. She felt numb, nauseous, and grievous all at the same time. Her eyes stung and she clenched her fists as she tried to calm herself.

The bodies of yesterday's dead couple hung by their necks from the branches of a tree, slowly swaying in the wind. The blood from the gunshot wounds had stained their clothes, running down their darkened shirts and onto their bare legs. Their heads hung forward, eyes closed, as if they were simply asleep. Around their necks hung hastily-made signs reading,_"No hope left."_

It was so repulsive and gruesome Anna couldn't stop the tears from stinging at her eyes. "W-why would they do this!?" she stammered, taking several steps back. "Killing them is one thing, but this…._why?"_

"They're a bunch of fucking sadists, that's why," Kristoff scowled, turning his head away. "All of them."

"Can't we cut them down?" Anna asked, already looking for a blade in her pocket.

"No!" Kristoff ordered, placing his hand over hers to stop her. "Then the hunters will know for sure that we've been poking around here. I know it sucks, but we can't let them track us."

Anna shook her head, her heart sinking in her chest. She felt like she had to say something, do something;_ anything_ to help what was left of the couple. But she knew it was futile; after all, she couldn't save everyone.

"This plan better work," she instead said solemnly, turning her back on the bodies.

He stood up straighter, eyes flashing with a sort of newfound determination. "It will."

The sun was beginning to set as they ventured further into the city. Anna felt her heart throb with worry. They'd been at this all day; hours upon hours of searching through hundreds of cars, and still nothing. _There was no way this plan would actually work,_ she thought with a scowl. The hunters would have made sure there were no options for escape.

She was just about to call it a day, just about to turn to Kristoff and tell him that they should head back, that it was time to give up, but something caught her eye.

Kristoff was bent over what was left of a Volvo when she saw it: a small repair shop, just a little further on down the road. It had a small garage off to the side with the door padlocked shut and spray-painted with profanity. It seemed simple enough, but Anna had an odd sort of feeling drawing her to it. Whether it was fate, intuition, or just plain curiosity, she knew they had to check it out.

"Think we'd be lucky enough to find a car in there?" She mused, turning to look at him. "I mean, it_ is_ a repair shop."

He looked up and snorted. "Doubt it. But I guess we could probably find some tools in there."

"Let's go then."

It was only a matter of minutes before they'd made it to the garage, but for Anna it felt like an eternity. Despite the fact that they'd hardly ran into any hunters today, seeing that couple had put her on high alert. Constantly looking over your shoulder, having your palms sweating, and your heart racing was so exhausting, she couldn't wait until they were safe in the apartment. Or better yet, safe 1,000 miles away from here.

The garage had no other doors other than the large steel one they currently stood in front of. A chain was wrapped around the bottom latch one would use to open the door, complete with a padlock. She watched as Kristoff fumbled with the lock, trying and failing to make any progress with it. Eventually, he scowled and stood up, kicking the chain half-heartedly. "I don't want to shoot it off, but it looks like we're going to have to," he muttered, pulling out his gun.

"No, wait!" Anna exclaimed, placing her hand on the gun to stop him. Firing their weapon might as well have been equivalent to painting targets on their backs. The city was so quiet, any sound would echo for miles. "There has to be another way!"

He eyed her. "Like…?"

She took a step back, scanning the garage for another answer. Most of the outside paneling was rusted and dented, so they couldn't scale the sides. There were a few piles of tires scattered around, but they were all so flattened, trying to stand on one would have been pointless. But with further inspection, Anna discovered two small rectangular windows on the back of the garage, too small for Kristoff to fit through, but for her…

"Can you give me a boost?" She asked, pointing to the windows. "I can get in, and try to open it up from the inside."

Kristoff didn't look so sure. "I dunno…it's risky; what if there's infected in there?"

She gave him a look. "If there were, we would have heard them by now."

He sighed. "I guess. Just…be careful and don't die."

Anna snorted. "Thanks for the advice."

They went to the window together, double-checking that there were no hunters around. Kristoff interlocked his fingers and held them out to her as a footrest. "Alright, c'mon," he said, beckoning her over.

Anna gingerly placed her foot in his hand, holding her breath as he then lifted her into the air.

"Can you reach?" Kristoff grunted, trying to keep her steady.

Anna stood on her tip toes, clawing for the window. "A-almost…!"

"Well, hurry up!" He said, boosting her up higher. "For someone so small you're surprisingly heavy!"

Anna's eyes narrowed, and unsure of how to respond to the statement, chose to ignore it. Her fingertips were just brushing the window pane, she knew she could reach it with only a few more inches…

She jumped a little, temporarily forgetting that Kristoff's face was right under her foot.

"Ow!" Kristoff yelped, causing her to sway. "Jesus, Anna! Watch it!"

"I'm sorry!" She whispered, feeling her cheeks burn. "It was an accident! I was just trying to get a little higher, that's all!"

"Just hurry up!" He said grouchily, lifting her up high once more.

"Alright, alright!" She exclaimed, reaching up again. This time, she jumped successfully, and managed to wrap her fingers around the window pane. She lifted herself up, and confronted with the window, just managed to slide it out of her way. With one last boost, she dropped herself through the window, landing with a painful thud on the cement floor inside.

"Ow!" She winced, clutching her now sore side. Maybe just throwing herself through hadn't been the best idea, she mentally muttered as she dusted herself off.

"Do you see anything?!" Kristoff called out.

Anna stood up and squinted into the dark, dusty garage. She couldn't see much; the windows were so dirty hardly any light came through them albeit for the one she'd opened. She finally dug in her backpack for her flashlight, flicking it on and shining it into the darkness. What she saw was more than she had ever hoped for, and she rushed over to it at once, examining it as eagerly as a child would a Christmas present. "_No way," _she breathed, feeling the unfamiliar sensation of pure relief. For a moment, she allowed herself to really believe this plan could work. They could get out of here, they could survive, they could make it!

"Anna!?" Kristoff whispered angrily from outside, knocking on the paneled walls. "Can you hear me?!"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Yes! Just a second!" She scanned the room before finding an industrial-sized metal cutter, and ran back to the window. "Here!" She called out, tossing the tool out the window.

She heard the sound of the cutter fall to the ground, as well as the footsteps Kristoff made as he scrambled for it. "Good thinking," he muttered, walking back to the garage doors.

Anna smiled to herself as she listened to him get to work on the chain. _Good thinking? _She'd never thought she'd live long enough to hear Kristoff, of all people, give her a compliment, even if it was admittedly just a small one. He was warming up to her, she thought with a smirk, it was only a matter of time.

After close to 7 minutes, he finally managed to cut through one part of the chain, and proceeded to yank it away. "Alright, I'm in," he muttered, setting the chain aside. Carefully and quietly, Anna helped him lift the garage door just enough that he could slide in, then quickly close it again once he was inside.

"So," Kristoff said, standing up and dusting himself off. "What do we got?"

Anna smiled at him, skipping over to what she'd found. "Ta-da!" She beamed, waving her hands towards it.

An old pick-up truck, its paint chipped and rims rusted, sat in the middle of the garage. The tires were old but in usable condition, the windows were a little cracked but still good, and when Kristoff hastily opened the hood, a working battery sat inside.

"_Holy shit,"_ he whispered, running a hand through his hair in disbelief. "I mean, it's still missing some parts, the engine needs some work, and the transmission needs a little fixing, but this could actually work!"

"And we have this entire workshop to use!" Anna pointed out happily. "It's all ours! I mean, are we lucky or what? How did this car even get here?"

He shrugged. "Maybe someone had the same idea as us. But it doesn't matter, it's ours now, and we're going to finish the job."

She nodded, trying to ignore the disheartening feeling of knowing someone before them had already tried and failed. "Right, so let's get to work!"

He shook his head. "Not today; it's getting late and the sun is going down, I don't want to be walking around here after dark. We'll head back, then come here in the morning when the area is clear."

Anna nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Together, she and Kristoff removed the battery from the truck and hid it in an old toolbox, just in case someone came and tried to make off with the car. Kristoff slipped out the garage door again, which Anna jammed shut with a crowbar afterwards. Then, she stacked up enough toolboxes to climb out the window, making sure to shut it behind her.

She dangled from the windowsill, this time determined to make a less painful landing. "Catch!" She called out to Kristoff, who looked slightly bewildered but held out his arms to her just the same.

Anna fell, and he caught her with ease, his arms contracting tightly around her. Anna was once again impressed by his strength, and she felt her cheeks grow hot. "Uh, thanks!" She smiled, patting his shoulder awkwardly.

"Mmph," he snorted in response. He set her down on the ground, looking disgruntled. "Let's just get back to the apartment."

Anna eyed him, slightly amused. "Okay."

They snuck back through the city streets in pursuit of the apartment, only having to duck into a few alleys to avoid the hunters and their trucks. As they moved on, Anna couldn't help but notice that Kristoff was pointedly walking a few feet away from her at all times. Had her fall really flustered him that much? Or maybe it was just his damn introvertedness showing through again. They would have to work on that.

When they reached the apartment building, Kristoff turned into the alley that would lead them to their secret entrance; a first-floor window. Anna, still several feet behind, thought nothing of it until she heard the startling sounds of a struggle. Her heart leapt and she ran forward, but by the time she reached Kristoff, it was too late.

A hunter Kristoff trapped in a headlock, his back turned to Anna as he slowly choked the life out of him. Kristoff was trying to fight back, trying to get a good blow in, but his gun had fallen from his pocket and onto the ground several feet away. Anna could see him flailing his arms wildly, but he was getting weaker, limper. He would be dead in a matter of minutes.

Anna felt her body go cold - she wanted to scream, run, or call out for help - but she quietly dashed forward, boldly leaping onto the hunter's back and wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. "Got you, asshole!"

The hunter tried to buck her off, seemingly confused and shocked as to what was happening. He clawed at her arms, trying to pry her off but releasing Kristoff in the process, who stumbled onto the ground. "Stupid bitch!" The man grunted, smacking his back, and her, against the wall harshly and repeatedly.

Anna yelped in pain. Her head started to pound and her ears rang louder with every smack against the hard, brick wall. But she wouldn't allow herself to stop and kept her hold, refusing to let go.

Kristoff scrambled off the ground, grabbed his pocketknife and dashed forward. With a brisk movement he plunged it into the hunter, stabbing him several times before he finally slumped over, lifeless.

Anna stood still for a moment, unable to move or think clearly. She pushed the hunter off of her quickly and turned to look at Kristoff with wide, fearful eyes. "H-he almost _killed _you," she whispered, unable to say anything more coherent. The hunter's blood was splattered across her cheeks, and she blinked back frightened tears at the thought of being alone. If she had only been a few minutes slower…

"I know." Kristoff looked right back at her, his eyes dark. He was breathing heavily as he clutched the blood-coated knife with white knuckles, hands still shaking. "I just….th-thanks," he breathed, and Anna had no other response than a nod.

In situations like these, sometimes words just weren't enough.


	10. The Setting Sun

**A**t the crack of dawn, Kristoff shook Anna awake, evidently ready to start another day. "Get up," he said, ignoring her groans of protest.

"5 more minutes," Anna grumbled, burying her face in the sweatshirt she'd been using as a pillow. Thanks to that confrontation with that hunter yesterday, she hadn't slept well all night. She just kept seeing Kristoff struggling, trying to fight back but on the brink of death. She'd watch his face pale, his eyes roll back, and body slump over. He'd slowly fall to the ground, lifeless, without so much as a cry for help. She couldn't move, breathe, run, or do anything to save him.

It was like Elsa all over again, which Anna was still having nightmares over too, only the Elsa dreams were worse. With Kristoff, she could wake up and see him sprawled out a few feet away from her, hear his snores, and know he was alright. With Elsa, there was no comfort. She was really gone and there was no coming back.

At the moment, she didn't really have any motivation to get up, move, or even think; let alone go out and face a bunch of bloodthirsty hunters.

"C'mon," Kristoff insisted, nudging her with his foot. "If we hurry we could be out of here by tonight."

That peaked her interest, and Anna couldn't help but forget her worries for a moment. She peeked up at him, hoping he didn't notice how messy her hair had gotten from sleep. "Tonight?"

He sighed in exasperation. "Yes,_ tonight!_ But we have to hurry! So get up off your ass and come on!"

She rolled her eyes, but did as he asked. After all, the idea of leaving tonight was so indulging, she wanted to do everything she could to make it happen, even if it meant getting out of bed.

"Do you need to eat anything?" Kristoff asked, handing her backpack to her.

She shook her head. "I'll eat at the shop."

They headed out into the hallway, Kristoff in the lead. Both were silent and kept their distance from the other; an unnamed awkwardness nestled between them. Their eyes averted to the dusty carpet beneath their shoes, and Anna wondered if it was always going to be like this; bickering when they were angry, and silent when they were not. She thought things had been getting better yesterday, but maybe she had been wrong. A part of her still wasn't over the tender moments they'd shared learning to shoot her gun, but she found it was also quite easy to push the memory aside, at least for the time being.

Kristoff opened the door to the shaft of the spiraling staircase that led up and down each level and to the main lobby. "I really hope we can finish this today," Kristoff muttered, starting to walk down the stairs. "This whole town is a-"

And then, they froze. The loud slam of the lobby's front door echoed up the narrow stairwell shaft, as well as the sounds of several footsteps and voices entering the building.

"Spread out!" A voice ordered. "They're here; we just have to find them!"

"_Shit!" _Kristoff whispered, taking a few steps back towards Anna. "How the hell did they find us?"

"Does it matter? Come on!" Anna hissed frantically, pulling Kristoff up the stairs. They scurried up each level, trying to stay as silent as possible.

"Go check upstairs!" Someone ordered, and the sounds of footsteps echoed up the metal staircase as the hunters began to climb.

Anna and Kristoff moved faster, not daring to peek over the railing at the hunters below. Anna's heart was pounding in her ears, and she couldn't stop shaking as they moved higher and higher. Her mind was racing, and she couldn't focus on anything else but getting somewhere safe. However, she was shaking so much and moving so fast, it was no surprise when she missed a step and slipped, sliding down a section of stairs with a loud clatter.

"I heard them!" A hunter shouted, and the sound of running men shook the staircase with a terrifying ferocity.

"K-kristoff!" Anna gasped, her eyes widening in fear.

"Come on!" Kristoff snapped, going back to yank her onto her feet before running ahead.

The bullets began firing as the hunters shrunk the distance between them. Anna ducked her head and ran faster, angry tears in the corners of her eyes. Why did she always have to mess everything up?

"I got them in my sights!" A hunter shouted, and a bullet flew right past Anna and Kristoff's heads.

"Faster!" Kristoff hissed, and Anna didn't hesitate to do as she was told. They made it past the 8th floor and to the top of the staircase, where one doorway remained. Kristoff shoved it open, and they ran through, finding themselves on the roof of the apartment.

"Help me block this!" Kristoff exclaimed.

He found an old metal crate someone had tossed aside and started and shoving it. Anna rushed over to help him, and together they managed to place it in front of the door.

"That won't hold for long," He panted, running a hand through his hair. "We've got to get out of here."

"Then let's keep moving!" She insisted, and they took off down the rooftop together. They ran to the edge, but there was no fire-escape staircase. It had long ago rusted and was broken in several places, making it incapable of use as an escape route.

"_What!?" _Anna gasped, shaking her head in dismay. "How are we supposed to get down!?"

The hunters had made it to the blocked doorway. The sound of them shoving and kicking echoed on the rooftop. In a few moments, the crate would give way, and they'd be screwed.

Kristoff ran along the side of the building, looking for a way down. "Anna!" He called out, beckoning her over. Anna ran to his side and looked down. A floor down hung an old window-washer platform, suspended by two wire cables. It swayed ominously in the wind, reminding Anna just how dangerous this was.

Anna stared at him, horrified. "Are you serious!?"

"There's no other option and no time! Here, I'll go first and catch you," he said, and with hardly so much as a second of hesitation, he jumped. He landed on the platform hard, causing it to sway and shake.

"_Oh my god!"_ Anna gasped, placing her hands over her mouth and looking down at him. "Are you okay?"

He winced, slowly getting to his feet. "Well, that hurt," he muttered, rubbing his back. He looked up to her, wincing in the early morning sun. "Come on!" He called out, holding out his arms.

Anna took a deep breath, readied herself, jumped off the side of the building, and flew through the air. She let out a small cry of fear as fell, gasping as she landed hard in Kristoff's arms.

"You okay?" He asked, holding her tightly.

She opened her eyes, blinking slowly. "I didn't die?"

He smiled breathlessly, setting her down on the platform. "No," he said, walking to the right of the platform where the controls were. It took him a moment to examine the controls, but before long he was lowering them down the side of the building.

Anna stood on the left side of the platform, holding onto the railing with white knuckles. While she wasn't scared of heights per say, she was definitely scared of falling to her death, and of the hunters finding them. She kept her eyes on Kristoff, telling herself over and over again that everything was going to be okay.

They moved quickly, but apparently not quickly enough. 2 minutes later, the sound of the hunters finally kicking the door down echoed off the rooftops. Kristoff muttered a curse before increasing his pulling speed, moving them down even faster. They were just past the 4th floor now; approaching the third. The ground was still a little over 30 feet below.

The hunters ran all over the rooftop, shouting out things to each other and taunting Anna and Kristoff.

"_Hurry!"_ Anna hissed, getting more anxious by the second.

"_I am!"_ He snapped, pulling harder.

"I found them!" A hunter called out, standing on the edge of the building above them. He pulled out his gun and immediately began firing, but instead of hitting Anna and Kristoff, the bullet shot through the left cable supporting the platform, splitting it in two.

Anna yelped, sliding down from where she was standing and slamming against Kristoff. "We're going to die!" She wailed, clutching onto him.

Kristoff pulled out his gun, trying to fire up at the hunter, but the morning sun shone directly in his eyes, blocking his vision. "Goddamn it!" He scowled, firing off shots but to no avail.

The hunter scowled at them, yelling some sort of obscenity before his bullet hit the second cable.

_Shit._

The cable snapped, and the platform fell, flying at breakneck speed. Anna had barely any time to process what was happening, but she could hear someone screaming and had to assume it was her. The sky above them and the ground below them disappeared; leaving the world was reduced to nothing more than a turbulent storm of rushing wind and sound.

Kristoff was shouting something to her, she could see his hand reaching out to her before-

There was the sound of clanging metal and ripping fabric as the platform collided with the awning that hung over the apartment, causing the cart to bounce first and then get stuck in the metal frame. She felt herself get flung out of the platform and through the air, though her vision was blurry and all she could make out was the glare of the sun shining right in her eyes. A roaring white noise filled her ears, and for a moment the world seemed to move at half-speed.

With a hard impact, she hit something slightly soft, but also prickly and dense. Anna felt herself black out for a moment, and her mind spun, but as time went on she was more than surprised to realize she was still alive. Her ears were ringing loudly, and her brain was pounding against her skull, but she could still sense the warm blood pooling down her legs and arms. She could feel her toes move, taste the blood in her mouth, and smell the scent of earth and plant-life.

_She was alive._

She slowly opened her eyes, looking up to the brilliant blue sky above. The sound of birds chirping and gunshots firing slowly filled her ears as she came back to full consciousness. She winced in pain as she felt her sore knee throb in newfound pain, and with shaking hands she sat up off the thick bush she'd landed on. She stood up slowly, falling and stumbling back down several times. Her legs weren't broken, but they hurt like hell, and each step she took caused her to wince. The world was spinning, and she looked around dazedly, trying to come to her senses.

"Kristoff?" She called out, looking around. She'd landed only a few feet away from the apartment building, on the thick, overgrown bushes that lined the entryway to the apartment building. Anna kept calling out for Kristoff as she searched for him, the threat of hunters lost from her mind. "K-kristoff?"

She limped closer to the crash site, where the mangled platform was stuck in the metal skeleton of the awning. Debris was scattered across the sidewalk, but Kristoff was no where to be found.

Then suddenly, she heard what sounded like him grunt and swear, and she rushed towards the sound immediately. Her legs screamed in protest with every step she took, but it didn't matter; she had to make sure Kristoff was okay.

To her relief, she found him in the alley across the street, apparently having been flung straight forward when they crashed. Luckily for him, there were a mountain of old boxes and rotted mattresses the hunters had disposed there; apparently they'd used the alley as a dump site for old things they didn't need. He was scratched up badly from the bed springs, had several paper cuts from the boxes, and was in just as much pain as she was, but nevertheless, alive.

Anna felt it was too good to be true, but she definitely wasn't going to complain. "K-kristoff!" She smiled, limping down the alley to him. "We made it! Sort of…"

"We got lucky," He wheezed, slowly getting onto his feet. "Really fucking lucky. If it wasn't for that awning breaking the fall…Well, you know."

"L-let's just get out of here," she panted, glancing over her shoulder. "I mean, they probably think we're dead, but we shouldn't risk hanging around."

"Well, we can't go back there now," Kristoff sighed. "Not when they have suspicions that we were in there."

"Well then, where are we going to sleep?" Anna asked, following him as they began to slowly walk down the alley. "We have nowhere else to go, except the garage, and that's not very secure…"  
>"All the more reason to get started on the car," he said simply. "Now come on, we have to get back to the garage before noon."<p>

Sticking to alleyways, they made their way to the repair shop, trying to slowly recuperate feeling into their legs. Anna stumbled and fell several times, and Kristoff, despite his grouchy remarks, always turned back to help her up.

By the time they reached the shop, they could both walk straight, but still quite painfully. Kristoff insisted that they rest the remainder of the day, as trying to fix a car in this state would be futile. Anna reluctantly agreed. She wanted to be out of this town, but she knew that neither of them would be able to drive well with their legs so sore.

They barricaded themselves in the repair shop, shoving as many tool boxes, crates, and other large objects as they could in front of the steel door. They slept in the bed of the pickup truck, each with their back to the other. As they drifted off to sleep, Anna couldn't stop her mind from wandering. "Do you really think we can do this?" She whispered, eyes running over the rusted metal of the truck bed. "You know, like actually make it out of here alive?"

He shifted, and Anna was surprised to hear the light-heartedness in his voice. "We just survived a 30-foot fall off a building; I think we can handle a few assholes."

Anna smiled, letting out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and finally letting her body relax. "Good," she murmured, closing her eyes. She knew there was no way Kristoff could know this for sure, but hearing him say it aloud did ease her worries a bit.

* * *

><p>They slept all through the evening and night, completely exhausted from so much exertion. When they awoke the next morning, they were still painfully sore, but able to walk and move more naturally. They ate some dried peaches Kristoff had stolen from the hunter's backpack for breakfast, and shared a bottle of water. Kristoff helped her with her bruised arms and legs, and she with his. Bandaged, fed, and better-rested, both were in much brighter spirits as they began to work on the car; the hopeful prospect of escaping strong and unfaltering.<p>

They spent all afternoon working on the car, scavenging for parts around the shop, exploring nearby areas for cars, siphoning gas, and trying to get the car to work. Finding parts was easy; the nearby alleyways were a wasteland of abandoned scrap metal and rusty mechanicals. Actually getting the car to function was the worst part. The exhaust would pop, filling the air with its foul gas, the engine would cough and sputter, or old wiper fluid would splurt onto the windshield, splattering onto their faces. In a memorable event, Kristoff thought he finally had it and asked Anna to start the car, only to have the radiator spurt oily water right in his face.

Anna had immediately burst into laughter, unable to help herself.

"It's not funny!" He snapped, furiously scrubbing his face clean with the end of his shirt.

"Right, sorry," she said quickly, trying to keep a straight face - one she didn't hold for long. "Y-you just looked really funny with all that oil on your face!"

He eyed her with annoyance. "Just come help me fix this."

"Alright!" She sighed, turning the car off and going to stand beside him. She took the wrench he handed out to her, getting to work on making sure all the screws were in place. It seemed to be working, but as she tightened the last screw, the radiator gave off one last spurt of excess water, splashing it right against her face.

"Hey!" Anna gasped, sputtering as the water and oil streamed down her cheeks.

Now it was Kristoff's turn to laugh, which he did, rather mockingly in fact. "Nice one!"

Anna scowled at him, wiping the oil off her face and rubbing it onto his in payback.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, still laughing as he backed away.

"That's what you get," she smirked, turning her attention back to the car.

"You started it," he said, giving her a nudge.  
>She rolled her eyes, knowing he was right but unwilling to admit it. "Whatever."<p>

The hours passed as they continued working, and it became harder to remain hopeful. Anna sat on top of an empty oil barrel, flipping through an old repair manual. Most of its pages were faded and missing, but she kept looking. There just had to be_ something_ in there that could help them.

Kristoff was still hunched over the car, looking so frustrated Anna was surprised there wasn't steam coming out of his ears. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He scowled, apparently conversing with the car.

"Have you made any progress yet?" Anna asked, eyeing him.

He gave her a look. "Does it look like I have?"

She rolled her eyes at him, turning back to her handbook. Completely out of ideas, she had no other choice but to close her eyes, flip to a random page, and point to the first word she saw. "Have you tried…making sure it has gas in it?"

He scowled again. "Of course."

She flipped to another page. "You charged the battery?"

"You helped me do that."

"Right, sorry…" Okay, so maybe this wasn't the best idea. She flipped to another page, one that was near to falling right out of the book and had a big tear on the side. "Did you try the….uh…timing belt? Apparently it's important."

He paused, and Anna could almost hear his mind working furiously. "Let me see that thing," he insisted, standing up and hitting his head on the hood of the car.

Anna fought back another laugh, instead handing the book to him with an impish grin.

Kristoff rubbed the back of his head with one hand while he held the book with the other, examining the page. He looked into the car, back at the book, into the car, and back to the book. "Well, it might help if there _was_ one," he finally said, immediately running over to the metal bins full of old cart parts. "The whole belt is missing! According to this we'll need to replace some other shit too."

Anna picked up the handbook from where he'd rested it on the hood of the car, squinting at the faded text. "It says you'll need a water pump, tensioners, and…pulleys?"

Kristoff nodded and immediately got to work, pulling out all sorts of oddly-shaped parts and pieces from metal chests and supply bins.

Anna watched him closely, doing whatever she could to help.

_If this didn't work…_

She frowned and shook her head, refusing to think about the alternatives. It _would_ work, she told herself as Kristoff rushed back to the car, a mountain of parts nestled in his arms. She had to keep her faith, she knew Elsa would have wanted her to.

After several long minutes of testing, experimenting, and adjusting, Kristoff screwed the last piece in. "There," he said with tense apprehension, slowly backing away from the vehicle. "That should do it."

She breathed out nervously. "Let's test it out then!"

He nodded, walking over to the side of the car and getting into the driver's seat. He took the key out of his pocket, slipped it into the ignition, took a deep breath, and turned it on.

There was a cough and sputter of the exhaust before the car rumbled to life, its engine running in an efficient manner.

Anna's jaw dropped, and she turned to smile at Kristoff with the brightest of grins. "Oh my god!"

"It works!" Kristoff gasped, sounding astonished. "It fucking works!"

"We did it!" Anna squealed in delight, doing a little dance on the spot. "We actually did it!"

He cheered, accidentally hitting the steering wheel too hard in excitement and sounding off the horn. Anna had never seen him this elated, and it only made her smile more. "We did!" he exclaimed, stepping out of the car, leaving the engine still running. He quickly crossed the garage, going to open the garage door. "Now get your stuff together, and let's get the hell out of here."

Anna smiled, running her hand over the hood of the car. _They really did it. _All their hard work had paid off; they were actually going to get out of here. Anna's smile softened as she pictured what Elsa would have said. Probably that Anna had done a good job, and that she was oh-so proud of her for making it this far. Anna's heart grew heavy as the familiar pang of remorse set in, and more than anything she wished Elsa could be here to say these things in person.

As Kristoff opened the steel door, the orange-pink light of the sunset flooded into the garage. It looked so beautiful cast up against the swirling dust clouds of the air and worn metal of the pickup truck, Anna almost forgot the nature their perilous predicament. Her sorrows ebbed away, and she couldn't help but smile in awe of the beauty.

"Let quickly grab some stuff before we leave," Kristoff said, his voice interrupting her thoughts. He walked back over to the toolbox, digging through for any tools they might need to take.

Anna nodded and readily helped him, putting some smaller toolboxes into the bed of the truck. A screwdriver, a hammer, a wrench, some car oil; anything that could be useful.

Suddenly, the cement floor beneath them began to vibrate. The sound of a car engine filled their ears; and it wasn't from the pickup truck. The smell of gunpowder filled their noses, and Anna felt her blood go cold as she realized what was coming.

Kristoff frowned, looking over their shoulders. "What the-?"

And then, bullets. They bounced off the sides of the building, finally going right through the garage doorway. 3 of the hunters' military trucks and vans pulled up, guns aiming out the windows._ "We got 'em!"_

"_Shit!" _Kristoff gasped, shoving a toolbox aside. "They found us!"

Anna's eyes widened in fear, and she shook her head in disbelief. "How!?"

"Does it matter!?" He barked, throwing the backpacks, gas can, and siphoning tools into the backseat. "We have to get the hell out of here, _now!"_

"R-right!" She nodded, dashing towards the car. The bullets flew as the hunters rushed out of their vehicles, one grazing her shoulder and causing it to bleed. _"Dammit!"_ She winced, painfully throwing herself into the passenger's seat.

"You okay?" Kristoff demanded, shifting the car into drive.

She nodded, buckling herself in with shaking hands. _"Just go!"_

Kristoff ducked his head to avoid more bullets and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. With a roar of the engine, the car went from 0 to 60, literally. The hunters shot right at them, spraying their front bumper with bullets, but Kristoff abruptly swerved out of the line of fire, driving over the curb and onto the next street. He sped down the road like a madman, trying to avoid hitting the parked cars or miscellaneous debris.

Anna gripped the side of her seat tightly, trying to stop herself from knocking against the car door with each sharp turn he made. The blood from her shoulder wound was running down her arm, but Anna felt no pain; she was too focused on her fear. "D-did we lose them?" She choked, hands shaking.

She was answered by the sound of screeching tires filling her ears, and the sight of a small fleet of the hunters' trucks and cars turning down the street behind them. Bullets flew out of their windows, just barely missing their truck.

_Great._

"Okay, what the hell do we do now!?" Anna exclaimed, desperately scanning the street for an escape.

"Now comes the fun part," Kristoff scowled, checking the rearview mirror and pushing down harder on the gas. "Trying not to get shot."

Anna eyed him frantically. "_That's _the fun part!?"

"It is if you win."

She glared at him, wincing as Kristoff sped over a pothole. "Do you always have to be so cocky?!"

"How was that cocky!?"

"Because you just-ugh, nevermind. Just keep your eyes on the road!"

_"I am!" _He snapped as he turned another corner, heading downtown at brilliant speeds. More hunters flooded the streets as they turned and swerved down narrow alleys, under overpasses and around tight corners. Before long, it looked like they had close to the entire group chasing them, each armed and ready to kill.

Another bullet flew by as Kristoff turned onto the main street, this time shattering Anna's side-view mirror. "Give it up assholes!" A man called out from the truck, firing off more shots.

_"K-kristoff!"_ Anna shrilled, her face ghostly white. _"They're everywhere!"_

"Can you drive?!" Kristoff exclaimed, seemingly ignoring her and reaching out one hand to pull his gun out of the glove box.

Anna turned to him. "W-what!?"

"Can you _DRIVE?!"_

"Oh! Uh…_I d-don't know!_" she cried hysterically, jumping as another bullet shot through the bed of their truck.

"Well, you're about to learn!" Kristoff snapped, moving aside quickly to pick her up and toss her into the driver's seat.

Anna gasped and gripped the wheel with white knuckles, trying to steer the car back into stability. "W-what do I do!?" She wailed, swerving wildly to the right to avoid crashing into the sidewalk.

He loaded his gun quickly, moved to the passenger seat, and rolled down the window. "Left pedal is for braking, right's for gas, turn with the wheel, and don't crash!"

_As if it were that simple._ Anna nodded, though hardly any of what he said actually resonated with her. _Just steer and press the gas, _she told herself, trying to stay calm. _Steer and gas._

Kristoff started firing shots out the window, trying to aim for the hunters' tires. "Head west, toward the barricade!" He shouted to her, wincing as he shot through the windshield of one of the cars.

"Got it!" she trilled, turning sharply to the left. She tried her best to get a look at the street signs that zipped by, attempting to navigate her way to the border, but the truck was moving too fast, and there was no way in hell she was going to slow down. Kristoff was too busy firing at the hunters to be of much help, though he was doing a remarkably good job of taking a few of them out.

As she turned onto the street that would lead them to the border, another military van cut her off, bullets flying out its windows as it flew by. She heard the sound of one of her headlights shattering, and counted her blessings that it hadn't been her head. While her heart was pounding so hard she felt it would explode; she pressed down on the gas harder. She sped past the van erratically, scraping their hood against hers with a flurry of sparks and continuing down the street."

"H-holy shit!" Anna gasped, turning to look at him. "Did you just see that!?"

"Stay focused! We're approaching their main camp!" Kristoff exclaimed, ducking back into the truck to reload his gun. "I remember this place on the map!"

"But we have to follow this road out!" Anna fretted, gripping the steering wheel harder.

"Then get ready!" He barked, returning to the window.

As she sped on, now driving through the camp, Anna caught sight of military flags ripped, torn, and burned; as well as several spray-painted warnings glorifying what seemed like an uprising. It didn't take much to imagine why this town had fallen apart.

Within seconds, a sea of hunters rushed out of the luxurious apartment buildings lining the road and onto into the middle of the street; the bullets from their machine guns spraying the entire area. There were so many of them, Anna could barely see through them to the street ahead.

Her eyes widened as she approached them, but she had no place to turn and no time to stop. Closing her eyes and ducking her head, she pressed down on the gas with all her might, driving straight through the horde. There were sickening thuds after thuds as some hunters bounced off the hood of their car, flying towards the sidewalk. When Anna looked up again, they'd made it through the horde and were now on the other side of the street.

"_Oh my god!" _Anna shrieked, frantically scanning the rearview mirror. "Did I just kill those guys!?"

"Who cares!?" Kristoff called out, still firing shots behind them. "It was either them or, you, and besides, that was kind of awesome!"

Anna laughed shakily and shook her head in disbelief. She would have nudged him if he hadn't been hanging out of the window. Nevertheless, there was no time for playfulness, not with the hunters recuperating behind them. She could already smell the burning of rubber tires and the angry gunshots as more hunters leapt into cars, and she knew it was a matter of seconds before they caught up to her again.

She turned left, thinking she might lose them by driving through a few alleyways.

"Are you sure you know where you're going!?" Kristoff snapped, frustrated that he now had lost sight on the hunters.

"Of course!" Anna lied through her teeth, speeding down the alley. "I'm just taking a shortcut! This should lead us right to-"

Her heart stopped as she reached a dead end in the form of a brick wall, several feet high; too high to drive over and no way to maneuver around.

_Oh no._

Her face paled. "B-but I thought…"

"Shit!" Kristoff scowled, glancing behind them frantically. "We're trapped!"

"No!" Anna insisted, shaking her head. "There has to be another way out! There has to!"

The sound of the hunters' cars grew louder as they rushed down the street Anna and Kristoff had just left, as well as the sound of angry shouts and taunting. They didn't have much time.

They were dead.

_Unless…_

Without giving herself a moment to reconsider, Anna gripped the steering wheel and shifted the car into reverse. Pressing down hard on the gas, she sped backwards at lightning speed, knocking a few trash cans out of her way.

"_What the hell are you doing?!" _Kristoff exclaimed, gripping onto the sides of his seat. "We're going to run right into them!"

"_Just trust me!"_ Anna snapped, looking over her shoulder as they approached the end of the alleyway.

There was a roar of a hunter's van turning quickly into the alley, but Anna was quicker. With a collision so hard and loud her teeth rattled, she rammed her bumper against the nose of the hunter's car, causing it to veer off straight into the alley wall. Her bumper was knocked off the pickup truck as another hunter's car rammed them from behind, causing Anna to yelp and curse. A gunshot pierced through the back window of the pickup truck, but Anna shifted the car back into drive, and sped off, leaving a trail of hunters right on their tails.

"You could have killed us!" Kristoff snapped, loading more bullets into his gun.

"But I didn't!" She said gleefully, finally starting to enjoy herself.

"_You_….you didn't," he muttered, looking frustrated that she was right. "Just…just keep going! We're almost out!"

As they approached the border, the streets grew eerily quiet. The road behind them was clear, and the sounds of bullets and screeching cars had faded away. Anna felt her heart stop, and she frowned. "Where did they all go?"

Kristoff put his gun in his pocket and moved away from the window. "They're going to meet us there," he groaned, slumping back in his seat. "All of them."

_Shit._

"It's okay, we've got this!" She said, though her confidence was plagued with doubt.

He gave her a look. "Just…be prepared. This is going to be rough."

_As if she didn't already know._ With every second that past, Anna grew more agitated. Her knuckles grew whiter and her breathing hitched. How they were going to make it out of this, she didn't know, but they had to try.

A glint of yellow flashed against her eyes as the light of the husky sunset hit the school buses lining the barricade. Her heart lurched as the border was now in sight, as well as the hundreds of awaiting hunters. Weapons of every make and kind were aimed at them, and there was nowhere else to turn, nor any other means of escaping.

"FIRE!" Someone shouted, and then the bullets were everywhere; through the hood, cracking the windshield, shattering windows; one even pierced the headrest a few inches away from where Anna's head was. Glass, metal, and gunpowder filled the air, creating a thick cloud of destruction.

"_Floor it!_" Kristoff yelled, ducking his head.

Anna lowered her head, braced herself, and accelerated straight towards the hunters, ignoring the bullets, broken glass, and shocked curses and exclamations. She tuned out the thud of the men bouncing against her hood and blocked out the sight of blood splattered against the windshield. Her focus was only on getting Kristoff and herself out alive.

With a great creak and groan, the truck pushed the town car out of their path of travel, giving Anna just enough room to make a run for it. Just as the bullets pierced the truck's side windows and the hunters rushed towards the car; she slammed her foot down on the gas as hard as she possibly could and soared out of town, her ears ringing and her heart pounding.

Her heart slowed as the concrete, cars, hunters, and crumbling buildings easily faded away into a beautiful forest-lined highway. It took her a moment to process what had just happened, but soon it all came rushing to her; the smell of fresh air leaking through the shot-up windows, her fingers slicked with sweat from gripping the leather steering wheel so hard, the soft glow of the sunset shining in her eyes, the warm streams of blood trickling down her face, and the sound of Kristoff and her own heaving breathing. Completely shocked, she glanced over her shoulder, only to be greeted by empty road.

_They were free._

"W-we did it?" Anna gasped, turning to beam at him. "_Oh my god! _We did it! Kristoff! W-we actually did it!"

Kristoff's eyes were wide, his hair was a ruffled mop, and he looked slightly deranged in the best of ways. He was happier and more surprised than Anna had ever seen him, even more so than when they had fixed the car. "Hell yeah, we did!" He finally cheered, turning to give her what looked like a high-five.

Anna's eyes widened and she blushed, but that didn't stop her from taking one hand off the steering wheel to lightly tap his.

His cheeks turned a little pink too, and he looked away, quickly folding his arms across his chest. "So…uh…yeah."

Anna giggled nervously, gripping onto the steering wheel again. "Yeah."

They were silent for a moment, both taking in the pure, tender taste of freedom. "Your face is all cut up," Kristoff finally said, bringing up one thumb to wipe the blood off.

Anna hadn't even noticed that glass had cut her skin; she was just now starting to register the pain. "My face?" she scoffed, pulling away from him a little. It did hurt after all, even with his gentle touches. "You should see your face! It looks like you got run over by a car."

He snorted. "Really?"

She smirked a little. "Really. It's super bad."

"Well, you're in charge of fixing it up," he teased, giving her a nudge. "Good luck."

Anna shook her head and smiled, finally giving him the nudge she'd been holding back all this time.

The warm sunset faded into a purple dusk as they drove down the empty highway, leaving the hunters far behind and heading onward to whatever new toil they would face. But after what they'd just been through, Anna couldn't help but think that no matter what happened, they could handle it. After all, they'd just made it out of an entire city full of people who wanted them dead. Now, Anna had a blossoming assurance that no matter what happened, as long as she and Kristoff worked together, they could do this. They could fight, they could thrive, they could win.

They were survivors.


	11. The Promise

**PART 2: Fall**

**T**he road was quiet, but peacefully so. It was worn and broken in some places from years of travel and abandonment, but then again, it was hard to find anything that wasn't these days. The light hush of the trees filled the air with a sort of calm, mystical manner, interrupted only by the soft crunch of leaves breaking away from their branches, twirling through the air, and landing gently against the damp earth.

A low rumble crept up on the winding, country road, breaking the silence slowly but surely. The road shook as a battered pick-up truck flew past, stirring up clouds of brown leaves that were long since dead. The metal body was riddled with bullet holes and covered in dirt and scratches, but nevertheless it drove down the road at a quick, steady pace.

Anna was reclining in the passenger's seat of the truck; eyes closed as she took in the fresh autumn air. The sun warmed her skin, and the breeze coming in through the windows gently mussed her bangs. It had been awhile since she'd felt this at peace, like there was no threat of danger, no reason to fret or worry. Surviving in this desolate world wasn't easy, nor fun for that matter.

She'd been on the run with Kristoff now for…well, she wasn't really sure. It had to be several weeks at least. It was strange that after leaving the quarantine zone they had no idea what day or week or month it was. Each day faded into the next, and there was no proper way to keep track of it all. The only way to tell time was when the sun rose and fell. All Anna knew was they were in the midst of fall. The trees they drove past glowed with the warmth of the red, orange, and yellow leaves, the sun was going down earlier, and the nights had taken to a ritual chill.

Of course, they'd had to change their clothes; in this weather shorts and a tank top wouldn't do anymore. Anna had been disgusted by the idea of taking clothes off the bodies they came across, but Kristoff told her it was what they had to do; any stores would be empty after all this time.

Even with the car; they hadn't made as much distance as they would have liked. The car was very old, and broke down often, which required Kristoff to mutter some sort of profanity, grab the toolbox, and storm out of the driver's seat to fix it. There was also the ever-pressing matter of getting food. They spent most of the end of summer sneaking in and out of suburban areas, small townships, and farmlands; collecting food and clothes, and avoiding infected and bandits.

It was straining work, some of the things they came across simply tore Anna apart. Anna would never forget the time they found the remains of an older couple in their bed, a gun still clutched in the male's fingers.

"W-what happened?!" Anna had gasped, backing away from the scene. She had never seen something both so vile and tragic, and it disturbed her greatly.

Kristoff didn't answer. His face was pale as he stood there, frozen in place, eyes wide and unmoving.

She eyed him apprehensively. "…Kristoff?"

He jumped, suddenly startled by the sound of her voice, as if he was awakening from a sort of trance. "W-what!?" He stammered, looking at her with frantic eyes.

"N-nothing!" She murmured, looking down. "Just…how did they get like this?"

He stiffened, walked over to the bed, and pulled the teal flannel shirt off the woman, leaving her clad in the worn, torn T-shirt she had on underneath. "They took the easy way out," he muttered, tossing the shirt to her. "Take this, it'll keep you warm."

She caught it, trying to keep the look of disgust off her face. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, holding the shirt only by the tips of her fingers.

"I'm fine!" He said quickly, more to himself than to her. "Let's just hurry up and get out of here."

Now, as Anna fingered the edge of the same shirt, she couldn't help but wonder. She knew something had to have happened to Kristoff; something more than just living amongst the bandits in the zone for awhile. She knew loss when she saw it, and Kristoff had to have suffered a lot. She could see it in the way he could be so callous and cold, the way he shut her out whenever she asked about his past, and the way his eyes were always so dull and sullen.

_Everyone, gone. My mother, my father…all because of me. It's my fault._

She frowned as she mused over his words. What had it meant? Kristoff couldn't have_murdered them, _right? No, of course not, that would be ridiculous. He would never!

Though, with sinking regret, Anna couldn't deny that she hadn't seen him kill without so much as a flinch. Whether it was a hunter or an infected, he always made it look so…_easy._She turned to look at him, her brow knit with worry.

He, on the other hand, looked completely content driving through the wilderness. His expression was softer than usual, and he drove the car with one hand on the wheel. He caught a glimpse of her staring at him, and he blushed and eyed her. "What? Is there something on my face?"

She blushed too, quickly turning her head away. "No! I was just…daydreaming."

He scanned her over, seeming doubtful, but not willing to question her further. "Alright."

Anna's eyes darted back to him, and as she took in his profile, full of peace, calm, and security, she couldn't help but disregard her worries. Kristoff wasn't a murderer, he was a fighter. In this world, there was a difference. He only killed to keep her safe.

_But what about before her?_

"Can I put in that tape we found?" She asked quickly, already digging into her backpack. Yes, perhaps some music would ease her worries. It always used to when she was young.

He shrugged. "If it works."

Anna pulled out the cassette tape they'd found in some attic in a Pennsylvania suburb. She had been delighted when she found it, and even more so when Kristoff had agreed to let her take it along. The label said it featured a series of old, country ballads, something Anna in her youth would have hated, but now cherished.

"I haven't listened to music in _years_," Anna mused, inserting the tape into the player. "I really hope this works."

There was a long, grating sound of working parts as the player tried to process the tape. Anna crossed her fingers, praying that the cassette wouldn't be spat back out at her in a mangled mess. A few more moments past, there was a click, and suddenly the sound of a soothing Southern drawl wafted through the speakers.

Anna gasped, her eyes lighting up. "It works!" She giggled, turning to beam at him.

Kristoff eyed her, a reluctant smile curving his lips. "I can see that. Well, hear."

She beamed at him, relaxing in her seat and closing her eyes. "That's much better," she sighed, taking every note on golden fields and summertime romances to heart.

"I didn't know you liked country music," Kristoff remarked.

"Anything's better than nothing," Anna snorted, opening her eyes to look at him again. "Why, do you have something against it?"

"Maybe," he smirked, throwing her a teasing grin.

Anna rolled her eyes at him, but still smiled back all the same. She turned her attention to the window, watching the trees as they flew by. Suddenly, a question crossed her mind, and she turned back to Kristoff, eyes shining. "If you could have anything in the world right now, not including the cure or a person, what would it be?"

His brow furrowed. "What?"

"I would want some chocolate," she continued, sinking back in her seat.

He gave her a look. "Chocolate?"

She nodded, smiling dreamily at the thought. "Milk, dark, white; I don't care. I just want some! I haven't had any in forever!"

He smiled at her in an almost endearing manner. "Out of anything in the world, you want chocolate?"

She smiled proudly. "Yes!"

Kristoff shook his head, fighting back an incredulous laugh. "Alright…I…uh…would want my guitar."

"Really? You play?"

"No, I just want something comfortable to sleep on at night."

Anna rolled her eyes and nudged him, giving him an annoyed look informing him that she didn't appreciate his sarcasm.

"Alright!" He chuckled, leaning out of the way of her touches. "Yes, I play. Well, I used to, before everything went to shit and all that."

She smiled gently at him, her gaze growing soft. "I bet you were really good," she said, blushing as the words left her mouth. Did that sound too weird?

He blushed too, turning to glance at her. "I was okay. I mean, I was only 15, so I wasn't amazing or anything. I doubt I could even do it now."

"Well, we have to see if you still can!" She insisted. "We have to find you a guitar!"

"Tell you what," he proposed, turning around a bend in the road, "If you can find me a guitar, I'll try to play something."

"Really?!"

He nodded gently, eyes still on her. "Really."

Anna giggled, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and returned his smile. After escaping the hunters' town, they'd definitely learned how to work together, and fought less. She was so glad they were becoming friends now, the bickering and loathing had been exhausting, not to mention it'd made surviving a lot harder.

Peeling her eyes away from him, Anna turned her attention back to the road, but by then, it was too late. She had only a second to register that there was a giant tree, lying right in the middle of the road, before she screamed; "LOOK OUT!"

Kristoff swore, the screech of tires filled Anna's ears as Kristoff tried to avoid the tree, the car swerved, but it was too late. The hood of the car rammed right against the tree; the car flipped, the windshield shattered, a roaring crash filled Anna's ears, and then everything went black.

* * *

><p>She awoke to the repetitious blare of a car alarm right in her ear. The southern ballad was still playing, but Anna could barely register it, her ears were ringing too loud. There was the familiar feeling of warm blood pooling from her head, legs, and arms, and she felt the sting of glass shards prodding her from all sides.<p>

Anna blinked and slowly opened her eyes. She was still in the truck, or what was left of it. It was flipped onto its right side, her side, and smashed in on several others. The windshield had shattered completely, and the remains of it were scattered everywhere. The world was spinning, her head was pounding like crazy, and blood was streaming from her head down to her cheeks, mixing in with her disheveled hair.

_What had happened?_

"K-kristoff?" She croaked, her voice sounding raspy and faint. She turned to look at the driver's seat, but it was empty. There was a blood-stain on the upholstered seat, and a few scraps of fabric from where it looked like his jacket had torn.

Her eyes widened as fear and panic took over. _"Kristoff!"_ She cried out, immediately trying to look for a way to get out of the car. The doors were jammed shut and the windows were all smashed, but she had no other alternative, so she began crawling towards the driver's seat window.

Her backpack had fallen under the driver's seat when the car flipped, and she grabbed it, feeling even more anxious when she realized Kristoff's wasn't in the car. Gingerly, she grasped onto the windowsill, wincing when she felt a few shards of glass dig into her hands.

Suddenly, there was a croak, and then the horrifying feeling of a rotten, clammy hand snatching her arm. Anna screamed, desperately trying to fight off the clicker that had stuck its decaying head through the broken window. She reached into her back pocket for her gun with shaking fingers, but before she could shoot, someone did it for her.

The shot echoed through the forest as the clicker fell slumped over, its thick, crimson blood pooling into the car. Someone yanked the body out of the way, and Anna was relieved to see Kristoff standing there, holding his hand out to her. _"C'mon!"_ He snapped, pulling her out of the car once she'd grasped his hand. "They're everywhere! We've got to move, _now!"_

The truck was completely smashed in thanks to the tree that had fallen across the road several feet away. Throughout the forest, the clicks echoed, getting closer and closer every second. What had to be at least a hundred clickers were rushing towards them out of the woods, attracted to the sound of their crash. Their croaks bounced off the trees as they approached, the earth shook under their feet, and their rotten fungus filled the air with its familiar stench.

Anna and Kristoff started running, abandoning the truck and taking off into the vast forest. The clickers shrieked, turning towards the sound of their footsteps and chasing after them. Kristoff had his gun gripped in one hand and her hand in the other, guiding the both of them through the woods.

Anna and Kristoff raced through the forest, jumping over fallen logs, weaving in and out of trees, and avoiding scraggly tree branches and bushes. But no matter how fast they ran, it wasn't enough; their heavy breathing and hard footsteps only acted as bait to the infected. The clickers remained right on their tails at all times, thrashing their arms, running sporadically, and croaking angrily. The smell of coppery blood oozing from their wounds plagued the air, as well as the rich, earthy scent of the cordyceps rotting away their bodies.

"_Faster!" _Kristoff hissed, his voice right in her ear.

Anna whimpered and nodded, clutching onto his hand tightly as she pushed herself onward.

The distance between them and the infected was decreasing by the seconds. There was no where to go, no buildings to duck into; nothing but trees for miles and miles around that passed by in an orange blur.  
>Anna had no idea where they were going, all she knew was that she couldn't stop moving, not even for a moment: it would mean her death. So even though her heart was about to burst, the glass shards were digging into her skin, and she wanted nothing more than time to just <em>freeze, <em>she ran.

Kristoff spotted a massive rock formation next to a hill several feet ahead, and pulled her towards it. Once they were near it, he fired a shot straight in the opposite direction and turned sharply into a cave that was hollowed into the side.

They both ran forward into the darkness, not stopping until they were several feet in.

Anna fought to keep silent as she heard the clickers rush past the cave, croaking and shrieking angrily as they headed up the hill, in the direction of where the gun had fired at.

Once it was quiet, Anna finally let out her breath, feeling like she wanted to collapse. "W-we did it…" She whispered, gasping for air.

But she spoke too soon.

Her heart stopped as the shadow of a lone clicker stumbled towards them down the cave, clicking warningly. It seemed to be the only one who had followed them in, but it was still enough to make her stomach drop.

Kristoff's eyes widened in shocked horror. However, he was still able to remain silent, turn to Anna, hold a finger to his lips, and start backing up, deeper into the cave.

Anna followed his lead, trying to make her steps as small and quiet as possible. Her body was shaking wildly and heart was pounding so loud, she was surprised it couldn't be heard from miles away. _Just stay calm, _she kept telling herself, _Stay calm and it won't hurt you!_

The clicker seemed agitated as it followed them further into the cave, its own croaks seemingly confusing it as they bounced off the small space. Anna had to tell herself to look away; this one was especially gruesome-looking. From the weak light filtering into the cave she could see the fungus had sprouted all over its body, emerging from its arms, legs, and chest. It had dried blood on its pasty skin and around the edges of its mouth.

Far too soon, they'd reached the back of the cave, and there was no place else to run. Anna's eyes widened as the clicker grew closer. They were trapped! She turned to Kristoff, eyes pleading for his help, but he only shook his head, holding himself as still and as silent as he could against the wall.

The infected slowly crept closer, croaking quietly and ominously. It headed right towards where Anna was standing in the shadows, as if it knew exactly where she was. Anna bit her lower lip and held her breath as tightly as she could, trying to stop herself from collapsing in fear.

Next thing she knew, it was right in her face, peering at her blindly. Anna could see every infected pore, every bit of skin ripped apart by the cordyceps, and the root of every fungi sprouting from its head. It was less than 6 inches away from her, clicking as it tried to make sense of its surroundings. Any minute now it would step forward, feel her, and attack. Anna held back a sob and closed her eyes tightly, preparing for the worst.

The silence was suddenly shattered by the sound of a woodpecker nearby, which seemed to incite the infected as it suddenly croaked, turning abruptly towards the sound. The woodpecker drilled off again, and with a loud shriek, the clicker ran out of the cave and back out into the woods, leaving them shocked in the silence and darkness.

Anna slowly opened her eyes, still trying to process what had just happened. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest, and she was still shaking all over. "I-Is it gone?" She whispered, her voice faint.

Kristoff's face was pale, but he peered down into the cave, listening for any sign of disturbance. "I-I think so," he replied after a moment, his voice revealing that he was just as shaken up as she was over what had just occurred. "I think we lost them all."

Anna sighed in joyous relief and slumped back against the cave wall. Her mind was spinning so much she was surprised she hadn't passed out by now. She'd obviously come in contact with near-death experiences before, but that was like nothing she'd ever felt before. Death had looked her right in the eye, all it would have taken was one bite, and she would have been infected right now. But by some divine intervention, she was still here.

_Thank God._

"A-are you okay?" Anna whispered, turning to look at Kristoff. Her eyes were adjusted to the darkness of the cave by now, and as she scanned his face she could clearly make out the bruises and cuts on his face. He looked pretty beat up from the crash, but then again, she probably didn't look so great either.

Kristoff nodded, though still not able to look her in the eye. "Don't worry about me," he said. "It's just…uh…good that you're okay."

Anna gave him an incredulous look. "How can I not worry about you? We were just in a car crash, and almost got infected! We're lucky to be alive right now."

He snorted. "Honestly, we're always lucky to be alive, no matter where we are or what we're doing."

He had a point.

"Still…" Anna mumbled, though she found that she really had nothing else to say. Her eyes averted down, and she realized that after all this time, she and Kristoff were still holding hands from when he'd pulled her out of the car. They both had sweaty palms and white knuckles, and Anna hadn't even realized how hard she'd been clutching his hand until now.

Kristoff seemed to now notice this too, as he suddenly pulled his hand away quickly with flushed cheeks. "Oh…uh….we should set up to camp for the night," he said, voice an octave higher than usual.

Anna blushed, laughing nervously as she wiped her hand on her pant leg. "Okay…Where?"

"Here," he shrugged, looking around the cave. "It's dark, quiet, and protected from being out in the open. We'll just have to take turns keeping watch for infected."

"Alright," Anna nodded, running a hand through her hair. "I'll…uh…start unpacking our things then."

"Great - you can wait here while I try to get us some firewood and food."

Anna's eyes widened. "But the infected are out there!"

He gave her a reassuring smile, something that stopped Anna right in her tracks. "I'll be fine, just wait here, I need you to protect this place."

Anna sighed. "Fine. But if you're not back here in an hour, I'm going to hunt you down and make you regret it."

He snorted, turning to walk out the cave. "I'll keep that in mind."

Anna hesitated for a moment as he walked away before finally bursting out his name._"Kristoff!"_

He paused and looked over his shoulder at her curiously. "What?"

She hesitated, shuffling in place awkwardly as he stared at her. "It's just…we lost the car, we're still over a thousand miles away, stranded in the woods and left to face the clickers…What's going to happen to us?"

He was silent, his face scrutinizing, but eyes revealing that he held the same worries too. "We're going to be okay," he reassured her, and to her surprise his voice was so soothing and sure she couldn't help but believe him.

Nevertheless, she stepped forward, and looked him right in the eyes. "Promise?"

He took a breath and met her gaze, and in that moment, Anna would have believed him if he told her the world was flat. His voice was calm and soothing, and his eyes were full of a sincerity she'd never seen from him before.

"Promise."


	12. The Learning Curve

**A/N:** This entire chapter is shameless fanservice I'm not even sorry

**I**f Kristoff was right about anything, it was that Anna definitely didn't know what it was like to really camp, at least, not until recently. Now that they'd lost the car, the rest of Anna and Kristoff's journey would have to be on foot; which meant late nights sleeping on the hard, cold ground, meals consisting of roots and berries, and shivering around campfires at night. Now that they were heading west, the terrain was getting more vast and difficult to travel on by foot. They had to stop for rest and recuperation often, something Anna wouldn't mind if Kristoff didn't always complain about how much it slowed them down.

It was all pretty disheartening, but by far, the worst part about camping wasn't the food or the cold or the travel. Yes, those factors were annoying, but not flustering and downright embarrassing.

The worst was thebathing. Anna would never forget the time she accidentally walked in on Kristoff doing just that in the river. He had told her he'd be right back, though after 20 minutes she grew worried. She went looking for him, but what but she found hadn't been what she'd expected.

Kristoff had been standing up to his hips in the rapids, scrubbing himself down with the gently rushing water. He'd had his back turned to her, and a pair of old boxer shorts on, but that didn't stop Anna from squeaking and hiding behind a tree in embarrassment.

_He hadn't seen her, had he? _No, he couldn't have. He would have said or done something! Her heart was fluttering in her chest, and she closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath. _Just walk back to camp,_ she reassured herself, _just go back and pretend this never happened._

She nodded, and began to move away from the tree.

_But…_

Anna hated herself for peeking; but she couldn't help it! She'd never seen someone so well-built and so, so shirtless before, at least not in real life. She was curious! One little glance wouldn't hurt her.

She quickly learned she was very, very wrong.

It had been quite warm on that sunny day, and when Kristoff turned to face her, her heart dropped in her chest. She could see the sun shining on his golden, freshly washed skin, smooth hair slicked back by large, calloused hands, and most of all; well-defined muscles dripping with water, leaving trails down from his pectorals, to his smooth stomach, to the little blonde hairs peeking just above his waistline, to the wet boxers that clung tight against his hips, leaving almost nothing to the imagination…

_Wait what!?_ What was _wrong _with her!? This was Kristoff! Kristoff, her….well, she didn't even know what to label him as. Either way, he was definitely not someone she should be gawking at or getting all hot and bothered over like she was now. Feeling lightheaded, she quickly ran back to the camp, her heart pounding wildly.

When Kristoff had come back to camp, hair still damp, and asked if everything was okay, her cheeks had turned a bright crimson and she'd just barely managed to chirp a shrill, "Fine!"

He eyed her. "You sure?"

She blushed even harder, unable to look him in the eye. "Oh yeah! I'm totally fine! Are you fine? Because you look really clean and…uh…fine! Not like _fine, _but good! And just good, not like, sexy or anything-"

His eyes widened, and he grimaced. "Sexy!?"

Anna then squeaked, jumping up from her spot and running down to the water. "_Nothing!_ I didn't say anything! I'm shutting up and going to wash up now bye!"

All in all, it was one of the most embarrassing moments of her life. Afterwards, neither had been able to look each other in the eye for a week. She tried to bring herself back to that state of loathing him she'd maintained when they first met, for even that would be better than this new, awkward feeling she felt. She didn't even know what it was, it was just that as they spent more time together, she felt…better around him. He wasn't so grumpy all the time, and it seemed like he was actually starting to view her as a partner instead of some girl he had to babysit.

Nevertheless, it didn't matter how nice he was to her. She wouldn't allow herself to explore these new feelings, no matter how tempting it was. And truthfully, she couldn't fully stress how tempting it was. One night, in the depths of autumn, she'd found herself nearly freezing in front of the campfire. Even with her coat, she couldn't stop shivering.

"I caught a fish!" Kristoff said as he came back from the river, waving it proudly. "It's a small one, but it's better than more of those berries." When he saw her predicament, he paused and eyed her cautiously. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah!" she smiled, her teeth chattering, "It's just a little br-breezy tonight!"

He rolled his eyes, not buying her chipper attitude. "Here." He set the fish down on a log before removing his jacket, walking over, and dropping it over her shoulders. "That should help."

Anna smiled and immediately buried herself in it, taking in the warmth of its faux-fur lining. It definitely was helping a lot - she was starting to feel better already. Kristoff had been lucky to find a coat as nice as this - it was made of sturdy leather, good for being in the outdoors, and had a soft fleece collar. Anna closed her eyes, burying her nose in it. _It even smelled like him…_

Her eyes snapped open, and she immediately yanked the coat off, glaring at him as if she was angry. She couldn't go there - she wouldn't allow herself. "I don't want your gross coat!" She snapped, crossing her arms across her chest. "It's…gross."

"Alright!" He exclaimed, holding up his hands in surrender. "No need to get angry! Next time, I won't try to help you."

She hesitated, but kept her ground, turning her nose up and looking away from him. "Good."

"But when you get hypothermia, it'll be your own fault."

She snorted. "Sure."

But after another hour of feeling like her toes were about to freeze off, she stormed up to him, held out her hand, rolled her eyes at the knowing smile he gave her, and fell asleep in the warmth of his coat.

* * *

><p>"I think you should learn to hunt," Kristoff said one afternoon after yet another meal of roots and wild berries.<p>

Anna frowned. "Why? You're the one who always handles that stuff."

"Well, it's getting colder out, and it'll be harder to fish, considering we don't have the proper tools. Not to mention it's just the two of us out here. If something was to happen to me-"

Anna tensed, cutting him off instantly. "Don't talk like that," she ordered. "You promised you'd always protect me."

"I know, I know," he insisted. "But it's still important. I'm not going anywhere, it's just…I need to make sure you'll always be able to fend for yourself."

Anna looked down at her feet. She still didn't like the tone in his voice, it still reminded her that anything could happen to Kristoff at any time. She didn't want to even consider what she would do if she lost him. Even though things were still awkward between them, she'd reached the point where she did care about Kristoff, in more than just a survival-partner sort of way. He was kind of her friend now.

Anna didn't like the idea of killing animals either, even if it was for her own survival. Eating a slimy fish and eating a cute, furry creature were very different experiences. But Kristoff seemed set on making sure she learned this. "I guess I could try," she finally mumbled, still unable to look at him.

He smiled. "Good. I'll help you learn, it's really not that hard."

Anna held back her snort of disbelief. It seemed like everything came easy to Kristoff - hunting, fishing, driving, shooting - while there was nothing left for her to do, other than driving, which was useless now that they'd lost the car. Even though Kristoff may have respected her more, she knew she was still a weight he had to bear. She wanted to help, she wanted to contribute, but she just didn't know how. Maybe hunting would finally be her time to shine.

Feeling invigorated by the thought, she quickly finished eating, packed up her things, grabbed her gun, and marched over to him. "Let's go!" She exclaimed, pulling him up by the arm. "I want to start now!"

"Alright!" He chuckled. "Just calm down. You'll scare all the animals away before we even start."

"Sorry," Anna blushed, but she was still ecstatic deep down. This was her chance to prove to Kristoff that she wasn't just a burden, and that she could be as strong as everyone else.

It was a rather beautiful day, one perfect for hunting. The weak fall light filtered through the trees, lighting up the orange and yellow leaves in a fiery array. The air was crisp and cool, and for the first time in a long time, Anna felt like she could finally _breathe. _Maybe it was the fact that they hadn't seen any clickers in a few days, or that she was finally starting to appreciate the beauty of the nature around her. While the urban areas bore the scars of disaster and turmoil, the forests hadn't changed. The trees still grew, the bird still sang, and the rivers rushed on. It was like a snapshot of what could have been, captured from times lost long ago.

They'd found a bow and a few arrows amongst the remains of a survivor camp somewhere in Ohio, and Kristoff now handed them to her. Even though the coast had been clear lately, nothing drew the infected closer and faster than the crack of a gun. When hunting, Kristoff explained, silence was imperative.

"Ready to learn?" He now asked, slipping the quiver over her shoulder.

She smiled at him. "Ready as I'll ever be!"

Even though Anna had entered this endeavor in high spirits, they quickly plummeted. Within 15 minutes, both she and Kristoff she had to be the most horrid hunter there ever was. Her biggest problem seemed to be keeping quiet; every time they spotted an animal, she'd sneeze, cough, gasp, or trip over her own feet. Each time Kristoff would groan and curse, while she would smile sheepishly.

"Sorry…." She'd mumble as they watched the animal race away.

"Just pretend it's a clicker, or a hunter," he would say each time. "If you make any sounds, you're done. The only difference is that you're not the one being tracked down."

"Right!" She'd nod, and while she promised to do better the next time, it wasn't until the 10th squirrel she chased away that she finally started to improve.

After learning the approach, Kristoff then taught her how to aim the bow. And of course, that had to be done by doing the _thing _again; the thing where he guided her arms, placed his hands over hers, kneeled beside her, and whispered his instructions in her ear, voice low, determined, and husky…

Anna_ had _to think of a way to get him back for all this. The amount of stress he was unknowingly putting her under was horrendous, nor was it fair! When they were close like this,_he _was never the one blushing and flinching and trying not to giggle. He never got caught gazing into her eyes. It was she who got chided for her strange behavior.

_Stay focused! _She practically screamed at herself. _You can't like him! _If she did, things would be even more awkward and uncomfortable than they already were. Because there was no way he would ever think of her that way. But the way he was holding and speaking to her enticed her. It was so weird and wrong but yet, being in his arms felt so right.

The combination of her horrible skills and flustered demeanor amounted to a day wasted. Despite Kristoff holding her arms and telling her when to fire, her arrows would always miss their mark and would wind up landing in a tree, scaring off whatever they were aiming at. Anna seemed to manage to hit everything _but _her target, actually.

"This is hopeless," Anna eventually mumbled, pulling away from him and slumping her shoulders. "I don't know why I'm even trying - we both know I'm not good at anything."

Kristoff frowned, turning to look her in the eye. "Anna…you know that's not true."

She scoffed. "Yes it is! If it wasn't for you and Elsa, I'd be dead by now. Growing up, Elsa was so protective, I never had to do anything on my own! Even after the outbreak hit, she was always doting on me. I loved her, but I never got the chance to learn anything…And now I'll probably get infected because of it…"

Kristoff placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look him in the eye. "Anna, you drove us out of that hellhole of a hunters' town, you figured out how to fix the car, you're the one that even noticed the garage in the first place. _I _wouldn't be here without you. You can do so many amazing things, you just need to figure out what they are. And…maybe hunting isn't one of your best skills."

Anna blushed, and she felt her heart soar at receiving a genuine compliment from him. _Amazing things? _"You really think so?"  
>He nodded. "I know so. But, that doesn't mean I'm going to let you quit either. I'm not giving up on you. This is stuff you need to know. Even if it takes us years to learn it, I know you can do it."<p>

Anna groaned and slumped her shoulders. "What about my hidden potential and amazing abilities? The non-hunting ones!"

"C'mon," he smiled, removing his hand from her shoulder and scanning the area. "We still have about an hour before nightfall, maybe we can still try to catch something."

Anna pouted. "I'd rather not."

"At least let me show you how it's done," he smirked, beckoning for her to follow him further into the woods.

Anna rolled her eyes. "_Cocky!" _She whispered, covering it up with a series of fake coughs.

He gave her a look, though it wasn't full of genuine annoyance like the ones he'd given her so many times before, back when they first met. "I'm not cocky."

"Of _course _you're not!" Anna nodded, her eyes wide and voice dripping with false sincerity. "Why would anyone ever say that about you?"

Kristoff rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Whatever, you say, feisty."

"Feisty?!" She gasped. "How am I feisty!? You're feisty! I'm not feisty!"

He chuckled and smirked at her. "Sure you're not."

She crossed her arms, tossing him a perturbed pout. "Let's just go catch dinner."

The sun was already setting below the horizon. The trees cast looming shadows across the forest floor, and the sounds of the night wildlife was softly filling the air. They searched the forest for close to half an hour before they discovered a lone rabbit, grazing among the grass.

Anna pouted as Kristoff got out the bow. "Do we have to?" She whispered.

"I'm sorry," he murmured back, and when he turned to look at her, Anna knew he truly was.

She had to look away as he took the shot, flinching when she heard the sound of the arrow hitting its mark.

Kristoff ran over to the rabbit, gently removing the arrow from its body. "This never starts being fun," he muttered, slowly walking back towards her.

Anna scrunched her nose, trying to ignore the churning in her stomach. "Remember when you could just go to grocery stores?" She sighed, "Or restaurants? You didn't have to dig through trash bins or kill animals - you could just go and get food! Whenever you wanted!"

"Well," Kristoff grunted, moving the rabbit to one hand and hoisting his backpack up with the other, "You've just got to learn to work with what you got. And right now, we have the forest, and this rabbit."

Anna's heart froze, and she blinked up at him with a gentle smile. "That's…uh…what my parents used to say. And Elsa…Well, minus the rabbit and forest part, obviously."

He paused and turned to her, his gaze gentle and inquisitive. "Really?"

She beamed at him and nodded. "Yeah."

Kristoff smiled back at her, and while it was a rather touching sentiment, it wasn't until that moment, in which he stood there, bright-eyed, holding a bloodied bow and arrow, a dead rabbit, and sporting the prominent beginnings of a beard that Anna realized he looked slightly crazy. She hesitantly smiled back as she scanned his face, trying to look for a way to salvage the situation.

"You…need to shave," she decided, "You look homeless."

He eyed her. "That's because I am homeless. We both are."

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. It looks bad. I mean, not that you look _bad,_because you're still quite…uh…good-looking with facial hair. But you look better with it shaved! Because right now you look like you kind of just crawled out of the woods. And what if you grow a beard and it gets stuck in a branch when we're running from clickers? I don't want to have to pull you out - it'd probably hurt! Not to mention it wouldn't be fun, either."

He eyed her, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. "You think I'm good-looking?"

"No!" She glared at him. "I mean…I just…I wasn't…just let me do it!"

He smirked. "Do you even know how?"

"Yes," She smiled, lying through her teeth. "I mean, how hard can it be?"

He still didn't look convinced, but her innocent smile and doey eyes seemed to do the trick. "Fine," he sighed, heading back towards camp. "Just be careful and don't maim me."

Anna giggled, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she walked. "I'll try not to."

* * *

><p>The firelight glowed against Kristoff's face as Anna sat before him, cupping his cheek gently. "Alright," she whispered, her voice unable to hide her nervousness. They were sitting less than a foot apart, if Anna had leaned in just a bit more their noses would have been touching. Kristoff had lit the fire and skewered the rabbit so he could roast it over the flames. As much as the sight disgusted Anna, the smell of meat cooking drifted through the air, causing her eyes to flutter and her stomach to rumble.<p>

Taking the knife into her hand, Anna scraped it against the side of his face, gently shaving the tiny hairs away. As she cut away, she revealed scars that had most likely come from him trying to do this himself in his younger days, and she smiled softly at them.

Kristoff breathed slowly and evenly, as if she had rendered him still using only her gentle touches and soft cuts of the blade. He moved his head at her command, tilting his jaw up, down, left, or right when needed.

When she came to further down his jaw, she pressed the blade down too hard, and nipped his skin. A tiny dot of blood blossomed on his jaw, and they both winced.

"_Careful_," Kristoff said, pulling back a little.

"Sorry!" Anna cupped his cheek more firmly, wiping away the blood with her thumb. "Do you want me to kiss it better?" She teased.

He rolled his eyes. "No thank you."

She leaned back in, her breath ghosting across his nose. "Just sit still, I'm almost done."

He sighed, but did as he was told and closed his eyes. "Don't expect this to be a regular thing," he murmured, being careful not to move too much of his face while he spoke. "Sorry, but your barber skills are not impressive."

Anna snorted. "Well, if you're not going to do it, someone has to."

His eyes moved to her as she continued to work, and to her surprise, he actually smiled at her. It was small, polite, and reserved, but Anna could still feel the gentleness behind it. It made her face flush, but she tried to hide it; focusing solely on the fair hairs that adorned his jaw.

This was definitely not helping her budding feelings for him - or whatever the fluttery feelings in her chest were called. Sitting this close to him, she could see every freckle on his cheeks (and even a few on his chin), the unusual little crook in his nose, and the slight chap in his lips. He smelt like pine needles and campfire smoke, and she instinctively leaned closer, wanting to take in every last moment of it.

She felt like she was in some sort of trance, and before she knew it, she was finished.

"There," she whispered, running her fingers over his now smooth skin.

"Thank you," he mumbled, his cheeks turning even redder in the light of the fire.

Their eyes met, and Anna felt her heart skip a beat. He wasn't smiling or frowning, but rather just _staring _at her. His brown eyes that were usually so sullen now had a hint of warmth and curiosity in them, as if the image of her sitting before him, timid and nervous, was fascinating to him. His gaze seemed to be piercing right into her inner being, and Anna had to look away for the sheer intensity of it.

"I-I think you should check on the rabbit," she whispered, pulling away from him.

He paused, still staring at her a moment before finally nodding, and standing back up. "Right…"

She looked to her feet, chewing on her lower lip as she tried to ignore the racing of her heart. This, whatever it was, was happening too fast. One minute she was hating him, the next they were some awkward definition of friends, and a few weeks later, she was feeling…she wouldn't let herself admit it. If she did, then she could ignore it. She could act like it wasn't there, and hopefully, with time it wouldn't be.

She sat in silence as he prepared the rabbit, only speaking to mumble a 'Thank You' when he handed her some pieces of meat.

He sat across from her on another log, digging into his meal quickly. Anna smiled as he moaned happily, closing his eyes and taking in the fresh juices of the meat. "I am so tired of all those fucking berries," he said, causing Anna to giggle.

"Thank you for doing all this," she said. The meat was rather good; the hardest part of eating it was making sure she didn't remind herself that her dinner was a former cute woodland creature.

They spent the rest of the meal in silence. It was calming in a way, but also slightly spooky. Any minute Anna was expecting to her the croak or scream of the infected, but there was only the hum of the crickets, the rustle of the trees, and the crackle of the flames.

They finished the rabbit quickly, ending the meal feeling far more satisfied than they had in quite a long time. Anna watched as he trickled a bottle full of river water over the flames, dousing them only slightly. As the smoke and steam filled the air, she examined his frame; lean, muscular, and adorned with scars. It was those signs of past injury and pain that made her think back to that line again, the one he shouted at her, the one she just couldn't get out of her head.

She wanted to know what had happened to him. What had caused him to be so bitter about the world, to be so reluctant to let anyone in? The way he'd been so mean to her when they first met, and the way he flipped out on her whenever she asked about it.

She needed to know, and she needed to know now.

"Can I ask you something?" Anna asked, eyeing him cautiously.

He shrugged. "I guess."

Anna hesitated and fingered the cuff of her jacket. "What was life like for you? What did you do when the outbreak hit?"

He stiffened, and with that singular sentence, Anna could feel the tension ignite in the air like a fresh match. "It's none of your concern."

She curled her fingers, digging her fingernails into her palms. She wouldn't give up, not this easily. "But you said you were the reason your parents were gone! And you won't even tell me anything about it! That kind of causes me to wonder-"

"It's. None. Of. Your. Business."

"But it is! I've been honest with you! You know what happened to my parents, I told you! And you don't even have the courtesy to do the same! And whenever I ask about anything that happened to you, you clam up and get mad at me! Do you know how frustrating that is? I mean, for all I know, I could be traveling with a crazy person or a murderer!"

He stood up quickly, eyes blazing. "I'm not a murderer!"

"Then why won't you tell me!?" Anna exclaimed, standing up as well and stomping her foot for emphasis. "I'm worried about you Kristoff! I feel like-"

"I don't give a damn what you feel like," He snarled, "Just stay out of my business!"

And with that, he stormed off into the night, leaving Anna in the light of the dimming ashes.


	13. The Savior

**12 Years Earlier**

**K**ristoff burst through the shed door, slammed it behind him, and padlocked it shut. He could still hear the screams of the infected echoing through the vast fields as they clawed at the fence surrounding the plot, and he shook, tossing the hunting rifle out of his hands and onto the dirt floor.

He couldn't stop his body from shaking, or the tears from pouring down his face as he crumpled to the ground, breaking down into thick, heavy sobs.

_What had he done?_

He could still hear the screams, the shattering of glass and wood, their pleading, and the two gunshots. He didn't know if there would ever be a time he wouldn't remember it, but it honestly didn't matter. All he could focus on right now was the pain; the sharp, stabbing, excruciating pain that was tearing him up inside and consuming him.

Ever since the infection broke out a year ago, his life had slowly begun crashing down around him. Food, clothes, medicine, and other ordinary house supplies he once took for granted were now almost impossible to come by, and living out on a farmhouse, 1 hour away from the main town, only made things worse. While it kept them separated from the chaos and infected, it left them to thrive solely on their land and livestock.

From Day 1, his parents had wanted to flee to the city, but Kristoff always disagreed. "The entire city is full of infected!" He would exclaim, pointing to the newspaper or TV as evidence. "You've seen the news! The numbers are going up where there's a more condensed population! We're safe here, away from everyone else. And on top of that, I don't know if you two would be able to endure the journey."

As hard as it was to say, it was true. His parents were well aged; after years and years of failing to have a child of their own, they'd adopted him, and Kristoff was thankful for it every day. Living with them made up for all the abuse and bullying he'd received from his fellow foster kids back at the foster home. They'd given him the happiest childhood any kid could ever have. However, ever since the infection struck a year ago, his parents' age that Kristoff once admired for the wisdom and kindness it brought turned out to be a curse. His parents weren't strong enough to travel, let alone to face hordes of infected. At most, they could move about the farm and perform their daily duties, but he knew that going into town, where sickness, riots, and disaster ensued, would be a nightmare.

"Are you sure?" His mother would ask, her brow knit with worry. "We could take the truck."

"I'm sure, Ma," he nodded, coming to sit beside her. "I want us to stay together, and safe. It's too risky out there."

So they stayed. Kristoff took care of them, building fences around the plot, keeping up with the animals, taking the truck out to the outlying general stores and pharmacies, and fighting off the infected if need be. It worked well for that first year; Kristoff had even thought that they were safe, that they could thrive spend the rest of their days here.

But he was still only 16, a child, and he had been wrong, so, very wrong.

They'd been sitting around the dinner table one evening, ready to eat the can of baked beans Kristoff had scavenged from the general store up the road. The windows had been boarded up, but it wasn't strong enough to stop the infected from bursting through; wailing, shattering glass, splitting wood and clawing into the living room.

His mother had screamed, and Kristoff raced into the hall to retrieve the hunting rifle his father had given him, but it was already too late. By the time he managed to shoot all the intruders, his parents already had deep bites in their sides, arms, and necks, and could barely get off the floor due to the blood loss.

_"NO!"_ He'd gasped, crumpling to his knees beside them. "_No, no, no!_ A-alright, I'll help fix you both up, we'll clean out this wound and get you some antibiotics-"

"K-kristoff," His father whispered, "It's too late...it's already spreading…"

Kristoff's heart dropped, and he hunched over their forms, fighting back sobs. "_N-no it isn't!_ You're going to be okay! I'll fix this! You're not going to...to…you're..."

His mother reached out a shaking hand and placed it over his. "I-It's okay Kristopher. Y-ou've been so s-strong...but there's only so much you can d-do...Just...Y-you need to go to the city, find someone to take care of you, and s-stay safe!"

He shook his head, the tears now pouring down his face. "N-no! I can't l-leave you!"

She grasped his hand tighter. "I know, b-but...please, Kristoff...m-make this easy for us. D-don't let us turn into one of those monsters..."

His face paled. "Ma...I can't. I won't!"

His father nodded. "We're sorry Kristoff."

He shook his head, cried out in protest, insisted there was another way, but it was no use. They had their minds made up, and deep down, Kristoff hated the thought of either of them turning into a mindless, fungi-covered mutant. He'd seen it happen to so many others; friends, family, neighbors; he didn't want it to happen to them too.

They said their goodbyes, told him they'd always love him, and gave him one last hug.

He was covered in blood, had a rifle in hand, and vision blurred. The farmhouse was deathly quiet in those last few moments, so quiet every ragged breath Kristoff took seems to make the walls tremor. He gripped the handle with white knuckles, fingernails digging into the slick wood of the handle.

Kristoff had spent the years afterwards suppressing what happened next.

* * *

><p>He sat on a rock that was perched near the edge of the stream, his face buried in his hands. There was a ringing in his ears that was ebbing slowly away to the sounds of the crickets chirping their melancholy melodies and river water washing by. The water misted his face, and he recoiled further into himself, gun clenched in shaking hands.<p>

He couldn't stop reliving it. For the past decade, not a day had gone by where he didn't see their faces when he closed his eyes, or hear their screams when the night was still. And now, after what happened with Elsa, it was only getting worse. More nightmares, flashbacks, and dark truths…

_"This was your idea! Elsa never would have wanted to escape if she hadn't talked to you! If it wasn't for you, she'd still be alive!"_

He couldn't tell Anna - she'd blame him for everything. After all, he was the reason his parents and Elsa were dead, no matter how many times he tried to convince himself otherwise. _He_ shot them, _he_ convinced Elsa that they should run. How would Anna ever be able to look at him the same way after that? If he still couldn't forgive himself, there was no way she'd be able to.

When they'd first started this journey, he hadn't cared what she thought. He'd wanted to do this expedition alone, and for a clear reason; he didn't want anyone else's blood on his hands. But now...now he wasn't so sure. The way Anna had looked at him tonight, her eyes warm, soft, and comforting, had almost convinced him that maybe it was okay to finally open up to her. After all, her parents had gotten infected too, maybe, just maybe, she'd understand...

His eyes widened. In his frustration, he hadn't realized that he'd left Anna completely alone and unguarded, in the middle of a forest full of infected, no less. She could be under attack at this very moment; crying, screaming, trying to fight back...

His heart leaped into his throat as he jumped up from his spot and sprinted back to camp. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, and his throat seemed to have clammed up so tightly he could barely breathe. _Please let her be okay, please let her be okay!_ He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been. If she was hurt, it would be his fault all over again.

He stumbled onto the campsite, now quiet and dark as the fire had fully extinguished. There were no clickers to be seen, but it was too dark to see if she was there too. "Anna?" He whispered, peering around in the darkness.

To his relief, he finally saw her curled up in a ball near the fire pit, gun grasped tightly in one hand and fast asleep. Her brow was knit in a frown as she slept and there was dirt smudged across her little nose from wiping her hand against it. He wondered if she'd been crying, as there were light trails in the dirt on her cheeks.

Kristoff sighed in relief, though an immense feeling of guilt set quickly over him. He'd left her all alone, _again_, after Elsa had ordered him to take care of her. What if she had gotten bit? He wouldn't be able to end her suffering, not again...

He shook his head, trying to shake the lingering bad memories. Anna was safe, he still had a chance to make things right.

Even though she was asleep, she was shivering, so he walked over to her and gently laid his coat over her tiny form. _"I'm sorry,"_ he whispered, so low Anna wouldn't have heard it even if she was awake.

The warmth of the coat seemed to do her good, as her lips curved upward and she snuggled closer to it.

Kristoff pulled his gun out of his back pocket and moved to sit a couple feet across from her, never tearing his gaze away from her sleeping form. Lying there in the grass, she looked so small, innocent, and vulnerable. He knew she was getting stronger, but she still had a lot more to learn. _Especially hunting,_ he thought with a smirk, thinking back to her disastrous attempts earlier that day.

The forest was silent as he watched her, interrupted only by the sound of an owl flapping his wings off into the night, and the wind whispering through the trees.

She probably hated him. He did. After all, his hands were already coated in the blood of so many people, and Anna could have been one of them. And then what? All because of his frustration he'd come back to find her, mangled, bloodied, infected, or even worse.

He needed to stop running from his problems - it only put Anna in danger. And he couldn't stand back and let her die. This time, he wouldn't fail. He would do whatever it took to keep her safe, no matter the cost.

Because if he lost her, he'd be more alone than he'd ever been before.

* * *

><p>Anna awoke the next morning to see Kristoff snoring a few feet away from her, his gun still in his hand and his coat (to her surprise) on her.<p>

She scowled and looked away, still bitter from the night before. They'd been having such a nice day together, and then he just _had_ to ruin it by being mean and yelling at her. What was his problem? She'd already opened herself up to him - back when they still had the car, she'd confessed to him one night what had happened to her parents. She had been willing to be his friend, to put everything on the table and start fresh, but it seemed like every time she did, he just pulled away and retreated back into his old, bitter self. She didn't understand what she was doing wrong.

She decided she just had to move on. She was on this journey to get a cure, and live her life in peace, not to foster some sort of relationship with him. She was distracted enough as it was, and she didn't need any extra worries.

Anna got up, tossed his coat to him, and started on making breakfast; a combination of wild berries and herbs. Today was a new day, and things would be different. She could sense a change coming, and whatever it was, she was willing to face it.

The sound of her moving around woke Kristoff a few minutes later, and he sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Morning," He said, moving his gaze to her.

She was silent.

He eyed her. "Is something-"

"Here's your food," Anna interrupted, grabbing his hands and shoving a handful of berries in it. "Eat it."

He looked confused at her demeanor, but did as she ordered. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," she said stiffly. "Let's just get ready and head out."

He looked concerned, but nodded and said nothing more to her for the rest of the morning.

Anna knew she was being rude and cold to him, and that doing so was slightly hypocritical, but she couldn't help it - she was hurt! All she wanted was for this drama between them to end once and for all, but he didn't seem to care.

They packed up camp in silence, and continued heading west. As much as Anna hated the quietness, for the first time she found she didn't know what to say. On one hand, she just wanted to shove her hurt feelings aside and go back to when she had those butterflies in her chest and her heart on her sleeve, but the other part was tired of constantly being pushed away; it hurt too much.

After about an hour of hiking, Kristoff seemed to have had enough of her passive-aggressiveness. "About last night…" He began, walking closer to her.

"Forget it," She cut him off, starting to walk further away from him. "It was no big deal."

He followed her. "I can't just forget it! Look...I'm...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. It's not that I don't want to talk to you, I just...I don't like talking about my past, that's all."

_That's an understatement._ "I know, I get it," she said coolly, though inside she felt disappointed that he still didn't trust her. What was it going to take to get through to him? "It's none of my business, you like to be left alone; I've got it. I won't bother you anymore."

He opened his mouth to speak, but evidently gave up and looked away, his face forlorn. "Fine."

An awkward tension hung between them for the days following. It took some time, but Anna eventually forgave him, as she knew that Kristoff just had to tell her about his past when he was ready. She contemplated whether or not she even wanted to know; whatever it was has clearly jaded him and left deep scars, it had to be horrible. But even though she was able to get past his secrecy, she still didn't know how to break the ice between them. She hoped it'd just thaw with time, but nothing was certain.

They traveled onward, each day becoming shorter than the next. Near the border of Indiana and Illinois, they found an old radio tower and station full of a few supplies but most importantly, a portable radio itself.

"Does it still work?" Anna asked, leaning over Kristoff's shoulder as he examined it.

"I think so," he said, pulling out the batteries they'd found with the supplies. "But I don't know if these will."

"What would we even listen to?" She asked, relieved to finally have something to talk to him about.

"Before I went to the school, I hung around with some bandits in the zone."

_Yes! This was progress!_ "So that explains why you're so rugged," she teased, trying not to show how pleased she was inside. Finally, she was learning some backstory.

He smirked and rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Anyway, they taught me some stuff. A couple years after the infection broke out, this group called the Fireflies - you've probably heard of them - starting recruiting members that fought to bring peace."

Anna frowned. "The Fireflies?"  
>"They say they're fighting to 'bring light to the darkness,' or something like that. Anyway, a few of them started broadcasting over the radio, reporting on what's going on in the rest of the country. I don't know if it's still going on, but it doesn't hurt to try…"<p>

"Well, we've been hiking all night," she sighed. "Let's just take the radio, and find a place to camp."

Kristoff agreed with her, and they left the tower. By the time the sun had risen in the sky, they found a nice clearing to rest in. Anna took a nap while Kristoff continued to tinker with the radio, cursing and muttering vows of frustration under his breath. The sound made her smile, and she closes her eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep.

A few hours later, she awoke to the sound of him cheer.

"I got it!" He beamed, beckoning her over.

Anna smiled and rushed over to him at once. "Really?"

He nodded and grabbed her hand, pulling her down beside him. "I think this is it."

The radio sounded old and scratchy, but even a good device wouldn't have gotten good reception out here in the woods. It was better than nothing, that was for sure.

_"-no further details are available. Another group of Fireflies was gunned down in Boston today after an attempted break-in to the state's capitol building..."_

Anna frowned. "Why are they murdering them? I thought they were fighting for peace?"

"Because they're going against the new martial law, and want to release the country from the military's control. And of course, the government doesn't like it."

_"Riots in the 3rd Sector of New York are at an all-time high as food rations are becoming strained, the military will be sending reinforcements to assess the situation."_

"I'm sure that will go well," Kristoff muttered, rolling his eyes.

_"Devastation still plagues the state of Connecticut in the aftermath of the military-authorized bombing of more than 20 Southern cities. There are still no reports of any survivors. More riots are breaking out over the controversial decision, but the military refuses to respond to allegations of injustice."_

Anna's heart dropped. "What?"

She couldn't believe it: her beloved hometown, the place she'd grown up in, bombed to smithereens. No survivors._ What about Elsa's body?_

Kristoff shook his head, looking disgusted. "I can't believe they actually did it."

Anna bit her lip, feeling worried. "We should have told other people about the

bombing," she said, turning to look at him, "Then maybe they could have made it out too."

"That only would have caused more riots, and a panic," he said, turning the radio off. "We probably would have all been killed."

Anna sighed shakily, trying to keep her emotions under control. "I guess...it just still doesn't feel right. It's not fair."

He looked at her, placing one hand on her shoulder. "It's not, and I'm sorry for that. But we're safe, and that's what's important now. No more focusing on the past, alright?"

The last part he clearly said more to himself than her, but Anna disregarded this and nodded. "Right..."

"Good," he said, tugging on one of her braids affectionately. "Let's pack up and head out, you've gotten your time to nap, and we still have a lot of hiking to do today."

Anna smiled gently. "Alright...just let me just get my things."

They came out of nowhere. Anna was just going to lean down and grab her backpack when she heard the shriek. Next thing she knew, a group of 10 or more clickers and runners had flooded the clearing, drawn over by the sound of the radio. Their bodies thrashed wildly as the ran, their screeching and wailing echoing through the trees.

_"Shit!"_ Kristoff gasped, scrambling for his gun.

Anna yanked her gun out of her back pocket, and began firing at the horde, desperately trying to remember everything Kristoff had taught her. _Control - aim - notch - ?_ There wasn't enough time for all that! She managed to take out a few infected, but she quickly ran out of bullets, as did Kristoff. There were just so many, and while Anna tried to fight them off, it was no use, they rushed towards her, screeching angrily.

_"KRISTOFF!"_ Anna cried, backing up and hitting a tree.

But it was too late. Kristoff's gun had been knocked out of his hand, and as much as he tried to fight the clicker off, he was knocked over and fell onto the ground. He the clicker he'd been fighting lunged towards him, ready to strike.

Anna screamed and cried out his name again, but she knew it was pointless. She was out of bullets, he'd lost his gun, and there were just _so many…_

This was it. Anna sobbed his name one last time, squeezed her eyes closed for the bite, braced herself, and-

Gunshots. Through the pounding in her ears she could vaguely hear them spraying across the clearing, taking out infected left and right. The bullets flew by at an alarming rate that sounded just like the machine guns the military used to have. One bullet hit the clicker in front of Anna, causing it to shriek in pain and crumple at her feet.

And then, it was all over. Anna's eyes blinked open as she took in the scene before her. All of the infected were sprawled out on the ground lifeless, their blood staining the browning grass.

She turned to Kristoff, but to her surprise, he hadn't been the one to save them; he was still lying back on the ground, the body of an infected beside him, looking as shocked and confused as she was.

_Then who-?_

Anna heard footsteps coming towards her, and she froze, turning to look up at the mysterious stranger who'd saved them.

And to her shock, standing there in front of her was the most handsome man she'd ever seen in her entire life.


	14. The Prince

**A**nna blinked up at the stranger, her heart still pounding. She'd never seen someone so _handsome _before. His face was clean-cut and freshly washed, unlike her own grimy one. He had neatly brushed auburn hair, regal sideburns, and green eyes that were glued directly on her. He had on a nice gray coat, black hunting gloves, and a rifle slung over his shoulder. He was like someone out of the teen magazines Anna used to collect when she was younger, or even better - he was like a prince, or a knight! A noble knight swooping in to-

"Are you alright?" He asked, holding out a hand to her.

Anna blinked at him, his question shaking her from her daydreaming. She looked to his hand, then to him, then to his hand again. "Oh! Uh, yes! Well, not really actually. Because I kind of just almost died, but it looks like you saved us! I mean, you did save us. Which was totally chivalrous and amazing and thank you!"

He smirked, taking a hold of her hand and pulling her onto her feet. "You're welcome. I'm Hans, Hans Westergaard."

Anna smiled shyly at him. "I'm Anna Bell."

Kristoff was still sprawled out on the ground a few feet away, unharmed. Once Hans began to talk to her, he scowled, grabbed his gun, and ran over to stand beside her. "Yes, thanks for the help," He said, words stiff. "But we're fine now, so you can go on your way."

Hans gave him a tight smile. "And this is-?"

Anna blushed. "This is Kristoff! My...uh...Kristoff!"

Hans held out his hand again. "It's nice to meet you, Kristopher."

Kristoff ignored the welcoming gesture. "It's Kristoff."

Anna gave him a questioning look. _What was his problem? _He was acting so cold, for no reason!

It didn't seem to bother Hans. "What are you two doing out here all alone?" he asked, voice full of concern. "You know this woods is full of infected, right?"

Kristoff stiffened and placed a protective arm on Anna's shoulder. "Yes, we know. We're just heading West for some...personal business."

Hans raised a doubting eyebrow. "Really?"

He didn't blink. "Really."

Anna nodded in agreement with Kristoff. Even though Hans was very handsome, and seemed very nice, she knew that they couldn't go around telling just _anyone _about the cure. They needed to get to it before anyone else did, as Kristoff had stressed countless of times.

"So, how did you find us?" Anna asked.

"I was out here hunting," he explained. "And when I heard your screams, I just couldn't sit back and let two people die in front of me."

Kristoff muttered something under his breath, but Anna chose not to listen and instead gazed at Hans dreamily. "That was very _noble _of you," she gushed.

Hans threw her another dazzling grin. "You're welcome."

She blushed again, his gaze sending shivers down her spine. Even though they'd just met, Anna felt like there was some sort of unspoken connection between them. Every time he looked at her, her heart would skip a beat and her cheeks would turn pink. She'd never believed in love at first sight before, not truthfully, but now…

"I live out in these woods," Hans continued, "About 30 miles north of here. I lost my parents when the infection hit, so I was forced to rely on my own means. Now I run an abandoned campground, and live off the land. I have plenty of food, supplies, and medicine; and I wouldn't mind sharing some with you, if you need it."

Anna grinned. "Really, you would do that for us?"

"Of course! It looks like you two have endured a long journey; you could use the extra help."

Anna looked at Kristoff, who was still seething. She was more than willing to agree to this act of kindness, but by the look on Kristoff's face, she couldn't help but hesitate. "Can you, uh, give us a minute?" She asked, smiling up at Hans sweetly.

He smiled back. "Of course, Anna."

Before Anna could act, Kristoff grabbed her hand and pulled her a few feet away, out of earshot of Hans.

Anna huffed in defiance, but let him take her into the brush. "Alright," She demanded, planting her hands on her hips. "You've been acting weird ever since he showed up. What's up?"

"I'm not buying it," Kristoff muttered, eyeing Hans suspiciously. "He seems too good to be true. And that little 'rescue' of his was far too convenient. Who just shows up out of nowhere, and just happens to have a magical campground full of supplies?"

Anna gave him an incredulous look. "He saved our _lives _Kristoff! Without him, we'd be dead right now! I believe him! Besides, if he wanted to hurt us, why would he go through all the trouble of saving us? He would have just let the clickers get us!"

"It doesn't matter! Anna, we can't trust him, we barely know him!"

Anna crossed her arms. "Yes we can! You're just jealous that he saved us because it hurt your man-ego!"

Kristoff scoffed. "Man-ego? That doesn't even make sense!"

"Yes it does, and I'm going with him! We need supplies! The ones we got from the radio tower won't last until winter!"

"Remember the last time you wanted to trust someone? We wound up in a town full of fucking crazy people!"

"Well, this is different! I can feel it!"

"And you're sure this 'feeling' has nothing to do with the fact that you can't stop drooling over him?"

Anna's mouth opened and closed wordlessly as she struggled to find something to say. "I-I'm not drooling!" She snapped. "I was just being nice to him! Unlike you, I don't need an attitude adjustment!"

"Attitude adjustment!?"

"You haven't known him for 10 minutes and you already hate him!"

"And you're already obsessed with him!"

"Am not!"

"You so are."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Whatever! It doesn't matter! Just trust me on this! If he turns out to be okay, then we get supplies that we need, and move on. If he turns out to be crazy, it's 2 vs. 1, and we'll be able to handle him! I know how to use my gun now!"

Kristoff scowled at her for a moment, trying to think of a counter argument but coming up short. "..._Fine_. But if he hurts you, I'll-"

"Put a bullet between his eyes?" Anna finished with an eyeroll. "Whatever. But he won't do that, I trust him. Isn't that enough?"

He eyed her. "I don't really trust your judgement."

Anna's eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth to retort when Hans cut her off. "Have you made your decision?" He called out. "It'll be nightfall before you know it."

Anna turned her back to Kristoff and walked over to Hans. "Yes, we're coming!"

Hans smiled at her, instantly making all her frustration and anger towards Kristoff melt away. He really was so handsome, and even better, he seemed to like her! The way he was smiling at her, and the way he then took her hand in his made her heart flutter and soar with excitement. _He had to feel something for her, right?_ "I'll lead the way," Hans said gently, pulling Anna off and down the trail.

Kristoff followed close behind, clearly still perturbed. "Great," he muttered, "What could _possibly_ go wrong?"

* * *

><p>As they traveled back to his camp, Anna learned a little more about Hans. The infection had hit when he was 17, making him 5 years her senior. He'd traveled all the way from the Southern States, and had been settled here for years.<p>

"That sounds just like what my sister wanted to do," Anna sighed. They'd spent the whole day walking, and the sun hung low, making the sky a rich, purple and indigo hue. "Find a nice place, settle down, and just...be happy."

He looked at her. "Where is she now?"

Anna felt her heart clench. Even though it had been over 3 months, it still hurt her terribly to talk about it, even more now that the news of the bombing hung in the back of her mind. "She...she was killed," she murmured, though the answer didn't seem to do the horror of the event justice.

Hans stopped in front of her, his expression one of shock. "I am so sorry," he whispered, cupping her cheek gently.

Anna looked away, the familiar stinging sensation returning to her eyes. "Yeah...well, she was amazing...I just miss her sometimes…"

Hans was silent for a moment as he scanned her face, thinking, pondering. "I'm sure she'd be very proud of you," he said softly. "You've made it so far."

Anna nodded, smiling at him through her oncoming tears. "Thank you, Hans."

He nodded, rubbing a gloved finger over her cheek. "Of course."

Kristoff cleared his throat from where he stood a few feet ahead of them. "Are you two coming?" He asked.

Hans shook his head. "It's getting late, we should rest for the night."

He looked like he wanted a reason to argue, but evidently there wasn't one. "Fine," he said, "But Anna, you should come with me for firewood."

Anna pouted. "I'd rather stay here, with Hans. You can handle yourself."

He scanned her face, and Anna was surprised to see a flash of hurt, not bitterness, in his eyes. "If that's what you want," He finally said, and took off on his own.

Anna bit her lip and looked towards her feet. A tinge of guilt weighed heavily on her heart, and as much as she tried to push it aside, she couldn't shake the image of that pained look in his eye. Maybe she'd just imagined it. She had to have. He didn't have any feelings for her, they were just friends, partners, nothing more. Why would he be hurt over her wanting to spend time with Hans? Exactly, he wouldn't.

_Right?_

"Well, let's get settled in," Hans said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's been a very long day, and you need your rest."

She nodded, trying to bring her focus back to Hans. "Yes, thank you. You've been so nice, and just...thank you."

He laughed softly, eyes moving over her figure absentmindedly. "You're welcome."

_His laugh was so nice, _Anna mused as she prepared herself for bed. _Just like everything else about him._

She knew things, whatever they were, were moving fast between them, but for once, she didn't really care. She just wanted to learn more about him and spend more time with him and get to know who he truly was. And as she drifted off to sleep that night, she couldn't help but smile as she planned on doing exactly that tomorrow.

* * *

><p>They awoke the next morning and had a light breakfast. Hans provided some jerky he had brought in his backpack, something Anna and Kristoff were happy to welcome as a change of pace.<p>

Throughout the morning, Anna tried to find a moment where she could talk to Kristoff alone about what had happened last night, just to make sure he wasn't hurt or angry, but it seemed like Hans was always right beside her, talking to and complimenting her. Anna honestly didn't mind it that much, and after several failed attempts, decided that she would just have to converse with Kristoff another day.

They continued hiking, following the river North. Hans speculated that they might have to stop again this evening, but that they would certainly be at his camp by tomorrow morning. A part of Anna couldn't help but feel crestfallen by the news. After they got the supplies from Hans, they'd have to part ways, and Anna may never see him again. She loved spending time with him, he made her laugh, smile, and feel _beautiful._

Some time in the afternoon, they passed by a waterfall, average-sized but still quite impressive. It rushed into the stream below, splashing up against rocks and reflecting rainbows from the midday sun. The mist danced through the air and fell against her face, both rejuvenating and refreshing.

"It's beautiful!" Anna gasped, taking in the sparkling, clear water. The falls were flowing rapidly and invitingly, and she couldn't help but sigh wistfully. "I wish we could go in…"

"Then we will," Hans said simply, sitting his backpack down on the shore.

Anna looked over to him with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Really?!"

He shrugged. "I don't see why not. We have some time to spare."

"I don't see how this is going to help us get supplies," Kristoff remarked bitterly, folding his arms over his chest.

"But it looks like so much fun!" Anna gushed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "And besides, we've been hiking for awhile, we deserve a break!"

Kristoff turned his focus to Hans. "I thought you said this woods was full of infected?"

"Well, since you're not coming in, I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job of keeping watch for Anna and I," he smiled, patting Kristoff hard on the back.

Kristoff glared at him, but did not respond.

Hans removed his shirt, causing Anna to blush and look down, though she wasn't quite as flustered as she'd been when she caught Kristoff in the river. _He was still completely amazing, _she thought dreamily, squealing as he dove into the lake.

"Are you coming?" Hans called out to her once he resurfaced.

Anna smiled and nodded. "Hold on!" She unbraided her hair before unbuttoning her jacket and handing it to Kristoff. "Can you hold onto these for me?" She asked as she started to pull down her pants.

Kristoff's eyes widened, and he adverted his eyes away quickly. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"I don't want to get my clothes wet!" Anna said, pulling the edge of her T-shirt down so it covered more of her boyshorts underneath.

Kristoff rolled his eyes, sat down on a rock near the shore, and sighed. "Fine. Whatever."

Anna readied herself before breaking off into a run, throwing herself off the bank and into the water below.

She was engulfed immediately. Rushing bubbles filled her ears and her hair fanned out around her, lazily moving in the water. Goosebumps prickled her skin as she realized it was a lot colder down here than she'd expected, though she didn't really mind. Things felt so much more clear and peaceful down here - all her troubles were drifting away and disappearing like the fragile bubbles she made as she took deep, steady breaths. Underwater plants tickled her feet and off in the distance, she could see what had to be Hans' legs as he swam toward her.

Feeling mischievous, she swam underwater towards him, trying to stay as silent as she could be - something she was much better at in water than on land. Springing out of the water, she cheered and splashed him, causing Hans to jump in surprise.

A flash of a scowl crossed his face, but it quickly faded into a bashful smile. "There you are," he simpered, "I was looking for you."

Anna beamed at him. "Well, you found me! Actually, I found you. I just saw you underwater and thought it'd be fun to surprise you! And it looks like I did; you should have seen your face - you practically jumped a mile!"

He chuckled. "What can I say, you're a handful."

Anna blushed. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, it's nothing to be ashamed off," He said, voice cool and soothing. "Let's just enjoy this time together."

Anna nodded eagerly. "Please! This feels so nice!" She splashed Hans again, laughing when he sputtered and smiled at her. A playful fight between them ensued as each tried to spray the other with more water, but in the end, Anna was laughing too hard to do any real damage.

She turned her gaze to the shore, where Kristoff sat on a rock, watching. "Come on in Kristoff!" Anna called out, waving happily at him. "It feels _amazing_!"

His eyes narrowed, and he continued to sulk. "I'm good, thanks."

"Don't worry about him," Hans smiled, coming up beside her. "We're having enough fun on our own."

Anna blushed and giggled. "Yeah!"

"Is he always this...depressing?" Hans continued, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Anna blushed even harder. She was turning so red so often, this had to be some kind of record for her. "N-no!" She stammered, pulling away from him only slightly. It felt too weird to be so close to him, especially in their current state of dress. "He's just grumpy today. He can be really nice, when he chooses to be. Which, I guess he isn't choosing to now because he keeps grouching about everything and snapping at me which he only used to do back when we first met, because he thought I was like weird, or something. Which is weird because I thought he was weird too because he always looked so pissed off and he still kind of does sometimes but now we're kind of friends now and-"

"I see," Hans interrupted, raising up one hand to stop her. "Well, we should just give him his space then."

Anna nodded. "Yes, maybe that's best."

Hans swam even closer to her. "So, what would you like to do first, darling?"

Anna felt her heart flutter at his term of endearment, but kept a cool stance, pretending to be deep in thought. "I would like...to race you to the waterfall!"

Then, without so much as a warning, she took off, swimming away from him quickly.

Hans called out in protest, but chased after her with a mischievous grin on his face. They reached the falls in no time, and luxuriated in the rushing water, letting it fall on their heads and wash over them.

"This is amazing!" Anna sighed, blushing as Hans wrapped his arms around her waist.

"So are you," he whispered, giving her a knowing smile.

Anna looked away, her cheeks red in nervousness. "You're so cheesy," she laughed breathily, though inside she was leaping for joy. "Let's swim around some more!"

Hans smiled. "Alright."

They spent the next two hours delighting in the joy of the falls. Anna hadn't had this much fun in years. The water was crisp and refreshing, soothing old wounds and scars, while the sun was pleasantly warm on her back. She felt like a kid again, splashing in the river with her sister, without a care in the world. Hans would guide her and twirl her through the water in elegant, smooth motions, and in those moments she felt like she was almost flying.

After it was a little over two hours, they both grew tired, and agreed that it was time to head back. Hans however, wanted to stay in a little longer, to clear his head, he explained, and she headed back to the bank alone.

Anna sighed happily as she lifted herself back onto the shore. She had needed that, she thought. Simple pleasures were hard to come by in this world, and she'd learned to treasure every one of them.

As she lifted herself, she realized her undergarments and T-shirt clung to her wet body quite tightly, and she was secretly happy Hans was still busy in the stream as she knew she was currently more scantily clad than what was probably appropriate.

She got on her feet and bent forward to shake her hair out, trying to get rid of all the excess water. Once it felt right, she slowly straightened back up, slicking her hair back with her hands. The water on the rest of her body was still slowly dripping down her skin, leaving trails from her hips all the way down her legs. She peered around the area curiously, her lower lip tucked into her mouth, trying to find her pants.

Her bubbly feelings towards Hans had apparently clouded her judgement, as she'd completely forgotten that Kristoff had been sitting there the entire time. By the time she realized, she was greeted by the image of him staring at her with wide eyes, his mouth slightly agape.

Anna's eyes narrowed, and she instinctively covered herself. "What?"

His entire face flushed bright red, and he looked away quickly. "N-nothing!" He insisted, a slight whimper in his tone.

Anna eyed him, walking over to her pants, still in his hands. She snatched them up, walked a few feet away, turned her back to him, and bent over to put them on. _Hopefully she hadn't done something embarrassing, _she thought as she jiggled herself into her jeans, a task hard to accomplish with wet legs.

She heard Kristoff give off another whimper, something that caused her brow to furrow further. "What is it with you?" Anna scowled, turning to face him again once her pants were on. "Stop whining and whimpering! It's your own fault you missed out on the fun of the waterfall! Maybe next time, you should actually come! Then you wouldn't feel left out!"

Kristoff blinked at her, dumbfounded. "That's not...you know what, nevermind. I...uh...you hit the nail on the head. I'm sorry. Next time, I'll...er...join you."

Anna stared at him. "Good."

"Is everything alright?" Hans asked, pushing himself back onto the shore.

Anna and Kristoff eyed each other, an unspoken tension hanging between them in the air. "Yeah, everything's fine," Anna answered, pulling her gaze away from him and towards Hans.

"Well, now that you two have that out of your system, we need to get going," Kristoff said curtly. "How much farther is that camp of yours?"

"About 15 more miles," Hans answered. "But we should rest up tonight, and finish tomorrow. I'm assuming you two will want to continue on once you get those supplies, so you'll need a lot of rest."

Anna felt her heart sink again. She kept forgetting that tomorrow would be their last day together. Even though they'd only known each other for a short time, the pain of saying goodbye was already so strong. "Yes...we'll need to get going…"

"Then it's settled," Hans went on. "Let's find a place to rest."

Anna agreed, but Kristoff seemed to be desperate for some sort of authority in the situation, and requested that he be the one to find a place for them to rest. Hans complied, and an hour later, they were nestled on a little enclosure near the river. There was a small cave that would be good for sleeping in, and a little clearing they could use as a fire pit.

Over a dinner of more jerky and roots, Anna had never felt livelier. Kristoff was sitting on a log on one side of the fire, while Anna and Hans shared a seat together on the other. Anna was bursting with jokes and stories to tell Hans about her early life. She might have been a little too enthusiastic, however, as upon talking about how she and Elsa used to go ice skating in the wintertime, she splayed her arms out too far and accidentally smacked him in the face.

It was humiliating, and she could have sworn she heard Kristoff snigger, but Hans had simply brushed it off and smiled. He was such a good sport like that, and a good listener. Like Kristoff, he didn't talk much about personal affairs, and settled for listening her go on and on about everything and anything she could think of. It was nice knowing he was so invested in what she had to say.

They talked until the fire went dim, all while Kristoff sat and watched, his face in one hand and a bored look on his face. He didn't speak until Anna was in the middle of talking about how when she was 5, she used to plant chocolate bars in the ground to see if a chocolate tree would grow. It was then that he stood up, yawned, and stretched. "As _fascinating _as this night has been, it's late, and I'm tired."

Anna paused, turning to look at him. "Oh! Okay! Well, goodnight! Hans and I can keep watch!"

"Right. Goodnight," Kristoff muttered, going over to lie down by the mouth of the cave.

Hans eyed him, and once certain that Kristoff was resting, took Anna's hand. "C'mon."

Anna hesitated. "Where are we going? I didn't get to finish my story!"

He gave her a strained smile. "It's okay, Anna. You can tell it to me later. I just want to do something else." Without another word, he stood up, fingers still intertwined, and guided her several feet away, down closer to the stream.

They sat together on a fallen log, knees brushing together as they sat side-by-side. Hans still held her hand as they sat in silence, reflecting on the day that had passed. Anna was still slightly puzzled over why he took her here, but tried not to worry about it and play along. Besides, the night was so beautiful, it was hard to worry about anything.

One of the few things Anna loved about traveling on foot was that at night, she could see thousands of stars and constellations every night. In the city, the air had been clogged with gunshot smoke, diesel fuel from military trucks, and sweeping lights that examined the city. But out here, everything was crystal clear, and oh, so close. The stars shone so bright, it almost looked as if Anna could reach out into that black abyss and pluck one of her very own.

"Did you enjoy yourself today?" Hans finally questioned, turning to look at her.

"Yes!" Anna gushed. "It was wonderful! I mean, even though all we did was swim, it was so much fun! I felt so carefree and...and _happy_!"

He leaned closer. "I'm glad then."

Her cheeks turned pink. "I-I am too…"

He looked her over again for a moment, as if he was trying to think of what he should say next. Anna always felt so shy when he did this, it was as if he was examining her under an eye as thoughtful and precise as a microscope. What he was looking for in her, she didn't know, but she hoped that he would find it.

"You know, you really are a special girl, Anna," Hans finally smiled, running his thumb over the back of her hand.

Anna blushed. "Thank you," she whispered. She had never felt so _noticed _before. Hans was staring at her so intently it was like no one in the world mattered more than she did. _If only Kristoff liked her the way Hans did…_

Wait, what? No! She couldn't be thinking about Kristoff, not now. Hans was nicer, and sweeter, and dreamier, and just _better. _Kristoff had never stroked her hand like this, or gazed into her eyes like this, or called her such sweet words before. Hans was clearly better for her than he was; Hans actually cared.

"Well, it's getting late, we better get our rest," Hans murmured, giving her hand one last squeeze. "I'll see you in the morning."

Anna shook herself out of her troubled thinking and put on a good face. "Right! We have a lot to do tomorrow. And just thank you again for doing all this. I know Kristoff may seem like he doesn't care but I know he does. He's just stubborn. And we've been out here for so long already and we do need it, really. And you've been so, so, nice. And you look nice too, which makes things even better! So...yeah!"

Hans smirked, choosing to ignore her rambling. "Goodnight, Anna," he said firmly, pressing his lips against her cheek.

Anna blushed right into her hairline, her face tingling where his lips were. "G-goodnight…"

He gave her a knowing smile and winked at her before walking back inside the cave.

Anna waited until he was gone before letting out an elated squeal. _She couldn't believe it! _He'd actually_ kissed_ her! Well, almost. It was close enough to one. Her heart burst into thousands of fluttery butterflies, her mind was spinning, and she felt like she was floating on air. He _had _to like her back, why else would he have kissed her?

She smiled happily and looked towards the stars. Finally, after months of pain, struggle, and strife, things were finally starting to change.

* * *

><p>Hans winked at Anna, pleased to see how easily it made her face light up, even more than it had when he'd kissed her. <em>She really did like to smile a lot...<em>

With a final wave, he turned his back to the girl and walked past Kristoff's sleeping form and deep into the cave. The cool darkness of the enclosure greeted him, and he sighed contently. After a day of working so much, both mentally and physically, he needed a break.

Once he was sure that no one could see him, his smile faded. _God, she talked too much, _Hans thought with an eyeroll. It was so frustrating to have to stay with them, to always smile and nod and agree to every ridiculous thing that came out of her mouth. _And that partner of hers had the mannerisms of a brute, _he added with a scowl_. _He could barely stand being within 5 feet of him - he was always pouting or mumbling or complaining about something or the other. _But that could be easily fixed,_ he assured himself, and once disposed of, getting to Anna would be simple.

As he readied himself for bed, Hans couldn't help but laugh under his breath. The way she'd smiled at him, the way she'd so readily agreed to accompany him, the way she was practically throwing herself at him - he had her wrapped around his finger already, and all it'd taken was a few shallow compliments, smiles, and words of concern. The endgame was in sight, it wouldn't be long now.

_This was going to be so easy._


End file.
